Tick Tock
by bitbyboth
Summary: Nero got a lot more than he bargained for when he goes after a demon near Fortuna and somehow ends up in front of Devil May Cry where he finds that nothing is as it should be...DantexNero. Complete.
1. Chapter 1 Tick Tock

Tick Tock CHAPTER 1

Hey everyone! I am here and I come bearing a new DantexNero story! :D I got the idea from reading the first Devil May Cry 3 magna and it demanded to be written! I have chapter 2 finished and I'm working on chapter 3 as I type here. :3

Oh-and I was wondering I'm sorta looking for a beta from this community my other beta didn't really know anything about DMC so she could only help so much. Anyway if any of you would like the position mention it in your review or PM me. My only requirement is that you can get back to me fast. I'm not very well known to be patient when I want to post XD

I do not own Dante or Nero they belong to Capcom. Enjoy!

* * *

Nero trudged through the wooded area heading for a castle that was just outside of Fortuna. He'd been coming down the path to the building quite a bit recently. The Order had sent him down this way almost three times in one week claiming that there was demonic activity, though the young hunter had seen nothing thus far. He was glad to have the trek however, things at home after the last year or so hadn't been progressing like he-and obviously Kyrie, thought they should. The two were on a 'break' thinking that maybe some time apart would rekindle the spark they thought they'd seen together.

The slayer sighed as he plucked a red apple off a low hanging branch, tossing it in his devil bringer once before snapping a bite. He had stopped wearing the sling while on missions, though he wore it almost any other waking moment.

Nero walked up to the towering, gray, brick building. _'Hello again.'_ he thought to himself. _'Just going to search you from top to bottom like I've done three other times this week…'_ he stalked forward, not paying much attention to his surroundings.

He felt as if a ton of demonic aura dropped in on him the moment he came within arm's length of the door. _'This is what I'm talking about. __**Finally!**__'_ a smirk played on his lips as he ripped the door open. Across the room, perched on a rotting wooden chair was a black owl with large red eyes. For a second he stared at it contemplating the likelihood that it was a coincidence that it was there.

He took a step forward and blinked harshly when the creature totally disappeared from his sight. Just 'poof' without a trace. He heard a screech to his right and grabbed Red Queen, intending to slash in that direction. He was out cold before the blade was unholstered.

* * *

When Nero awoke he had no idea how much time had passed or even what the hell had happened to him. His cheek was pressed against something smooth and cold, his right arm twisted under his body, hiding it from sight his left was bent slightly above his head.

His eyes opened to slits and he immediately snapped them shut again, the light of the setting sun stinging his throbbing head. He pulled his right arm out from under him and used it to shield his eyes as he opened them again.

He carefully looked around. Cracked sidewalks with weeds popping out, old rundown buildings painted with layers of graffiti, the sound of a police car in the distance…wherever he was it sure wasn't Fortuna. He had no idea where he was. He very carefully stood up and brushed off his clothes. He turned then realizing he was standing next to a set of steps leading up a doorway above which glowed a neon sign proclaiming Devil May Cry.

The name snagged in his memory. Dante…he'd seen him once since the Sanctus incident. The older slayer had said, after some prodding and alcohol, that the kid could look him up under the name Devil May Cry if he ever 'got into some shit.'

Well…he had no idea how he'd gotten here, but he figured at least Dante could give him some directions on how to get home. He made his way up the stairs and looked at the door for a moment wondering if he should knock, or just walk in. He figured the place was a business and opened the door. What he saw…well, surprised him. The place smelled like Dante, pizza and beer, but who he saw was not the Dante he remembered, it had to be his son, but he hadn't really thought the man in red was old enough to have a son his age.

The other male's silver hair was slightly longer than Dante's, with the same frosty blue eyes, and face structure, he was a little more lithe than Dante but his taste in clothes seemed to mirror his father. He was dressed in a red trench, but he wasn't wearing a shirt underneath, showing off his flat stomach. He was wearing green pants and had his black, unzipped combat boots resting on the desk.

Nero must've been staring longer than he thought because the other male cleared his throat and asked: "What do you want?" his eyes raked down Nero's frame, sizing him up and pausing on his devil bringer.

Nero self-consciously pulled his arm behind him and tugged the sleeve of his jacket down over it.

"Yeah, sorry."

"If you need help with that arm I'm not sure if there's much I can do about it. It looks pretty attached." he said in an aloof manner, grabbing a slice of pizza from a box laying on the desk.

"No, that's not it. Is Dante here?"

The other male looked at him like he'd just jumped off the loony train. "Yeah, that'd be me, the one and only. Weren't you the one passed out in front of my shop?"

"Uhm, yeah." he said, needing a moment to process the other part of that sentence. Would Dante have named his son Dante? Seemed a little confusing, and he said the one and only…

"Did you drink a little too much or somethin'?"

"No-I don't drink." he said, rubbing his forehead with his human hand. What was going on?

Dante started to snack on his pizza waiting for the kid to explain what the hell he was doing here.

"I'm here for a job." he blurted. He had been toying with the idea of looking up Devil May Cry and working with the older slayer. The Order was running out of missions for him and the ones it did send him on were starting to become like wild goose chases.

Dante's eyebrows raised, as this had not been the answer he'd been expecting. He swallowed the mouthful of pizza he'd been chewing and licked his lips, leaning back in his chair to think. Jobs had been coming a little more smoothly since the whole Temen-ni-Gru incident, but money was by no means easy to come by with that bitch Lady taking all his profits.

He looked over at the other boy again. He could take missions away from Lady and get back at the ungrateful shrew for him. Unfortunately he had no idea if the kid was any good.

"I would kid, but I think you're just that, a kid."

Nero's eyes narrowed dangerously. Dante even called him a kid when they were the same age! (1)

"You think I pack these things for show? Come on, I bet I'll give you a run for your money." he smirked, revving Red Queen over his shoulder.

* * *

(1) Okay the time frame they're in now is about 10 months after Temen-ni-gru so Dante is 19 and Nero is 18.

Hopefully you guys aren't too confused, this isn't quite like I usually start my stories so I hope it doesn't put you off. I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter of Tick Tock ;3 review please! Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth March 18, 2010


	2. Chapter 2 Gunfight

Tick Tock CHAPTER 2

SirenaLoreley: Yes Nero has been thrown back in time to hang with young Dante! I'm glad you like so for and I hope you enjoy the fight! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies and popcorn*

furesesse1: Yeah, haven't seen many time travel fics on here ;) Glad you like it! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Yoshi333: This fic is totally different from the others that I've written and actually quite a bit harder! XD Hopefully I can pull it off. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Pushka: Yeah, I only read the first one with Dante in it, but it inspired me none the less ;3 And I love Dante without the shirt *drools* oops! Sorry! XD I would suppose that after going to that castle two or three times Nero might be a little irate XD And the kid does catch a break, but it takes a while XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Haha! I'm suppose to be working on a Sociology paper right now! I thought I'd give you guys the next part of this though. I'm pretty happy with the way this chapter turned out so-remember I don't own Dante or Nero and enjoy!

* * *

Dante lightly smirked. "I like your style kid. Although I hope that arm of yours has upgraded something other than your attitude." he put his feet on the floor with a 'thump' sweeping Ebony and Ivory off the desk as he stood, and holstering them behind his back. He grabbed Rebellion out of the wall and placed the blade on his back.

"I think you may have even underestimated my abilities." Nero grinned.

"We'll see then. This probably isn't the best place to test you though, I have enough holes in the walls. I know a place nearby where we can let loose some chaos though." he said, strolling towards the door.

Nero made sure to pull his sleeve down over his right hand as they walked out. He was still pretty puzzled as to what had happened to the older slayer…but this was definitely him, same clothes, style, weapons, gait…everything he remembered but in a younger package. He thought back to the owl demon in the castle. It must've had something to do with this.

"So where you from?" Dante asked.

"Eh…pretty far away. I won't bore you with the details." he replied, not sure how he could explain how he ended up here anyway.

"Mm, so what did you do there?"

"The same thing I'm trying to do here. Hunt demons."

"I'm guessing that's how you got that arm then."

"Yeah. I was defending the city I lived in from them. After I got this though…" he flexed his devil bringer. "They decided they didn't really want me around."

The other male nodded in understanding. "People don't really like things that are different."

"You're preaching to the choir." he stated simply, looking around as he wondered where Dante was taking him. He blinked when red-clad devil hunter stopped leaving them in a deserted area littered with broken bricks and half crumbled walls.

"This work for you?" he asked un-holstering Ebony and Ivory.

"Let's go to the gunfight." Nero smirked, whipping out Blue Rose and firing less than a second. The man in red twisted out of the way but the bullets were so close he almost heard them whizzing past his ear. Ebony and Ivory released a barrage of their own, but Dante was surprised to find that the other teen had already leapt out of the way, as if he had predicted the attack.

Nero quickly holstered his revolver and grabbed Red Queen swinging his blade towards Dante's legs, the man in red rolled away before the sword could slice him open and got onto one knee, firing at the younger teen again. Nero lunged to the side to avoid the attack, though a few struck his right shoulder, he didn't seem to be bothered too much, he got out of the way of the direct attack and ran forward, blocking the other gunshots from his face by holding up his devil bringer.

Dante just barely managed to dance back out of the way as Red Queen sliced into the place he'd been standing. As he leapt back however, the blue-clad hunter lashed out his devil arm, grabbing Dante's ankle, and quickly spinning in a circle, throwing him into one of the crumbling walls effectively destroying it. It took the older male a moment to get his footing and get upright again seeing as the bricks didn't make very stable footing as he did however he holstered his prized guns and grabbed Rebellion's hilt. Once he was stable he drove forward with his blade straight out in front of him. (Stinger)

Nero was basking a little in his tiny victory when he saw the older hunter driving towards him. He smirked and held his ground until Dante was close enough before twisting out of the way and smacking the flat side of his blade over the other half-devil's shoulder blades.

Dante stumbled, trying to turn back around his foot getting twisted on one of the bricks and falling backwards. Once there on his back he felt a foot on his chest and heard Nero's gun being cocked.

The man in red blinked before lightly smirking. "Not bad."

Nero grinned, holstering his revolver, and taking his foot off the older teen's chest before holding his demonic hand out to help him to his feet. Dante clapped his hand into the one being offered without hesitation.

"What's your name?" he asked as he was pulled to his feet.

"Nero."

"You're hired."

* * *

Nero was allowed to live in Devil May Cry, Dante giving the younger teenager the spare bedroom. The only problem with said bedroom being that there was no furniture in it. The red-clad devil informed him he'd have to buy the stuff himself, and that he didn't run a hotel. Dante got half of whatever Nero made for rent, food and his company supposedly.

Nero was okay with sleeping on the couch until he could afford a bed, which was definitely going to be his first investment if he was staying for longer than a week, at least that's what he thought to himself as he laid on the lumpy couch with a hard pillow and a blanket the older teen had tossed down to him from the stairs.

The half-devil lightly sighed to himself as he closed his eyes.

* * *

Nero's eyes cracked open again when he heard a shrill whining sound. He groaned as he rolled off the couch, his back twanging with discomfort. He looked around, wondering where the hell he was for a moment before his eyes landed on the huge rotary phone on Dante's desk. He padded over and picked up the receiver.

"Um, Devil May Cry."

"Eva."

"…Okay." he blinked, having no clue what the person was talking about.

"There's a flock of demons congregating by the fountain downtown, there's a reward so you better get your ass down there before someone else does."

Nero blinked awake quickly with these words and scanned the desk for a pen-of course the older man wouldn't have a pen.

"Where at?"

"I told you the fountain downtown."

"Street address please." he grumbled impatiently with a roll of his eyes.

The man on the other end rattled off an address that meant nothing to the devil hunter.

"Alright-I'll be there." he growled before hanging up the phone.

The hunter quickly slid his feet into his boots, threw his coat on and grabbed his weapons before walking out the door.

* * *

Okay, in case you're wondering my logic on how Nero won that battle-I figured that Dante is a little less experienced and a little cockier, not only that but Nero has the experience of fighting Dante when he's at his peak. ;) In case you didn't notice I made a lot of references to their first fights together Dante making a few of the mistakes that Nero made in DMC 4. Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth March 23, 2010


	3. Chapter 3 Nero's First Mission

Tick Tock CHAPTER 3

furesesse1: Nero finally gets his chance to whoop Dante XD but he still ends up on Dante's couch. *tsk tsk* Glad that you enjoyed the fight! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

SPARTAN-G003: Yeah, I got this from reading the DMC3 magna and I was like…I want to work with DMC3 Dante…how can I get Nero there? XD Yeah in the game Dante is a little klutzy, but he makes it look like he meant to do it all along XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Pushka: I'm glad you liked the fight scene! And I'm sure that Nero WAS dancing inside after beating him XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Okay people, give some thanks to my new beta reader LawlietsDarkAngel! She looked this chapter over before it was posted and gave me some tips on how to improve, so thank you LawlietsDarkAngel! :3 I do not own Devil May Cry! Enjoy!

* * *

Nero made his way out of Devil May Cry and looked around. Which way should he go? He closed his eyes and listened carefully, trying to hear or sense where the chaos was happening. After a moment he felt he should go to the left and he really didn't have much to go off of besides his gut instincts so he ran to the left until he heard a strange cawing and a wet tearing sound.

He sprinted towards it until he spotted a large red bird with round yellow eyes, a very long tail and gold stones seeming to be imbedded in their wings. It looked like it was dripping blood, as if that was what it was made of. (1)

He watched for a moment as the bird swelled up and shrieked before exploding. Nero lifted his devil arm to block the spatter, when he looked up again he was surprised to find two of the birds.

"Well, this seems to be a multiplication problem." he smirked grabbing Red Queen's hilt. "I'm not very good with math guys-so let's stick to subtraction."

He revved Red Queen and lunged forward slicing the first Blood-goyle cleanly in half. He turned back quickly to admire his handiwork and then realized that there were now three of the creatures one medium sized and two smaller.

"Okay…you did the multiplication thing again…" he muttered, putting Red Queen onto his back and grabbing Blue Rose. "Let's see how you handle bullets."

He shot at one of the smaller ones and blinked as it went rigid, turning into stone and falling out of the sky. Nero had an 'a-ha!' moment as he grabbed his sword and ran forward smashing the statue with one decisive slice.

He chuckled, stopping abruptly when he heard another caw…and another…and another. He spun quickly on his heel and rolled out of the way as one of the birds dove at him. He looked around and his blue eyes widened. He was totally surrounded.

He whistled. "I got a lot of work to do." he said, sheathing Red Queen and twirling Blue Rose out of it's holster. A few of the blood-goyles screamed and started spinning in circles over the slayer's head. He shot at them and after a few seconds two of them screamed and fell to the ground, immobilized. The few that hadn't though, dove towards him and he had to spring out of the way before killing the two he'd managed to petrify.

'_This is taking too long.' _he thought seeing a few more of them had exploded creating even more of the annoying birds. "Hmm…" he spotted their long tails and smirked.

He reached out with his devil bringer and grabbed the nearest blood-goyle by the tail before spinning and smashing the bird into it's brethren. Upon being brutally smacked together a few of the smaller goyles turned to stone and the bigger ones became dazed. The one in his hand turned into stone after smacking six or seven of the demons. Once it was petrified he smashed it to pieces via a nearby wall before grabbing Red Queen to dispatch the others he knocked down.

Nero continued this tactic seeing as it worked fairly well until there was only one of the blood-goyles left. This one he shot and it fell with a screech being smashed to bits only a second later.

He looked around and saw the fountain, a strangely shaped thing made of dark stone and adorned with human bodies.

"Well, that's what seems to be the problem." he said to himself, walking over and slicing through, destroying the fountain so it would spawn no more demons.

Nero put Red Queen back onto his back and clapped his hands together to get the dust off them, happy that he was only covered in rock dust rather than smelly demon blood. He frowned when he heard footsteps behind him and whirled around to find a nervous looking man trying to approach him. Nero looked away and tried to hide his arm behind his back.

"Are you Dante?"

"Nah. I work for him though. You the one offering the reward?" he asked, looking up to the man's eyes.

"Uhm, yes."

"Well…I'm sort of new at this so I guess just do whatever you'd do for Dante." he shrugged. He'd really never been paid for exterminating demons and Dante wasn't exactly here to help him at the moment so he figured he'd just have to wing it.

"Oh…right," he smiled nervously. "Just wait right here." he said before taking off.

Nero sighed and folded his arms, wondering if his devil arm had spooked the man or if he was scared of Dante. He shook his head, pausing when he heard a gun cock behind him. He quickly moved to turn and felt a spray of bullets at chest level; six or seven bullets hit or slid between his ribs on his right side, making him gasp.

What he saw was not what he expected. It was a skinny looking girl wearing a white collared shirt, shorts, brown boots and armed to the teeth with firearms. She had short cropped black hair and two mismatched eyes.

He quickly held up his devil arm to block the rest of the attack. She stopped after that looking at him particularly. Nero coughed lightly, trying to hold it back. He looked over the top of his arm and tasted blood in his mouth.

"What the hell!?" he demanded.

"Who are you?" she demanded at the same time.

"Me? You're the one who's shooting first asking questions after. It doesn't really seem like you care that much." he said flatly.

"I thought you were someone else…but I've never seen you before. Who are you and what are you doing here?" she didn't lower her weapons.

Nero coughed, covering his mouth with his human hand. It came back sticky with crimson.

"Sorry-it's a bit difficult to answer your questions while my lungs are bleeding." he spat venomously.

"Maybe I should just kill you then." she growled.

"My name is Nero. I'm helping Dante out at Devil May Cry."

"Are you a human or are you a demon?"

"Little of both I guess. I was human, and then I got this," he held up his devil bringer. "So who the hell are you?"

"Lady. I work with Dante too…sometimes."

"Well you've got one hell of a handshake." he replied, spitting the blood out of his mouth and licking off his lips.

"Looks like you do too."

Nero looked at his bringer and flexed it. "Yeah, I guess."

Lady holstered her guns. "I guess I'll be seeing you later then Nero."

"I guess so…" he said watching her leave.

* * *

Nero got the money for his first job and even Dante seemed impressed that he took the initiative and headed out on his own in a strange city.

He smirked when he saw the kid walk in the door with blood on his clothes.

"How'd ya do kid?"

"Don't call me kid. And it went all right. There were a ton of these red fucking birds, but I took care of them."

"What's the pay?"

"Pretty good." he answered, handing over half the cash he'd received.

"Good work Nero. Now let's bandage up those wounds, you're bleeding all over my floor."

* * *

(1) As you may have guessed this is a Blood-goyle from DMC 3

Wow another whole chapter of fighting! XD Sorry. I swear I'll try to get to some kind of closeness between them next chapter. ;3 Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth March 28, 2010


	4. Chapter 4 BandAides

Tick Tock CHAPTER 4

furesesse1: Yeah, I figured that Nero should have his own unique way of taking on the blood-goyles especially since Blue Rose wouldn't be as quick as Ebony and Ivory. Meeting Lady does come with a price, she's one tough chick! Thanks for the review! *gives cookes*

Noboru: Glad you like it so far! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

SPARTAN-G003: Yeah, I was trying to think of something badass for Nero to say and…so ended up with the math comment XD I'm glad you like Lady, I figured when she saw Nero for the first time she might think it was Vergil or something. Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Pushka: I'm glad you like the fight scenes, I try to keep them innovative and true to the character's own unique fighting styles. Lady seems the kind of person to shoot first and ask questions later XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Amon2: I'm glad you like the idea, but this is taking place after the events in DMC 3, so Vergil won't be making an appearance. I have an idea about how this is going to work out in the long run, so I hope you like it :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

* * *

Nero shed his jacket, hoodie and shirt in the bathroom and frowned at the bullet wounds that were still seeping blood. The ones in the soft tissue would be forced out by his body eventually as they healed. The ones really bothering him were lodged in his ribs.

"Need a hand, kid?"

"Stop calling me that." he growled.

Dante's head tilted in confusion when he spotted the bullet wounds. "Wait a sec…didn't you say they were blood-goyles?"

"Those bird things are what I got paid to take care of. This was something on the side. Some bitch named Lady came up and just started shooting me." he grumbled.

Dante laughed and Nero glowered dangerously.

"Sorry-sorry. That lady says one hell of a hello though. She shot me in the head the first time I met her…and continues to shoot me in various body parts in our other meetings…"

"That's fascinating-really. But are you going to give me a hand here or what?"

"Oh yeah, sorry." he grinned, taking some tweezers out of his medicine cabinet.

"Why do you have-?"

"Trust me on this one, I get impaled with enough irritating, tiny projectiles to warrant owning a pair of these."

"Okay, whatever. Just hurry up." he grumbled, placing his demonic hand against the counter so that Dante had access to his right side.

The man in red pushed the tweezers into the first wound and Nero grit his teeth and closed his eyes in pain. He felt the metal close around the chunk of lead. A swift and harsh tug pulled it out of the bone making him grunt and clench his hand around the laminate countertop.

"Holding up okay?"

"I'm just fine. There's another next to that one and another in the rib above that." he said in as level of a tone as he could muster.

Dante dropped the slug into the sink, leaving a trail of red as it rolled. "She can be a bit of a hard ass, but she does have amazing grouping."

Nero rolled his eyes and the older teen lightly laughed.

"I'm just joking with you kid, lighten up." he said, plucking out the next bullet.

"Fuck!" Nero hissed through his teeth.

"Hey, if you think that this is bad, try getting impaled by your own sword. Now that stings."

The younger hunter lightly laughed. "That's happened to you before?"

"Yeah, just once."

"That's pretty funny." he mumbled, thinking about doing the same thing when he first met the man in red.

Dante ripped out the last bullet, causing the younger male to growl softly.

"What about you? What's your worst battle souvenir?" the son of Sparda inquired.

"Well somebody stabbed this once." he said, flexing his bringer.

"How did you get that thing anyway?"

"Eh…I was fighting some demons outside the city," he started, grabbing a few of the Band-Aids spread across the counter and starting to slap them over the wounds where the bullets had been removed. "It's a little fuzzy. My shoulder got hit or something…I dunno." he shrugged, shaking his head.

"Hmm." he grunted. "So what are you planning to do with the money you made today?"

"I need a mattress. As nice as it is for you to offer me your couch, that thing has got to be really fucking old."

Dante barked a laugh in response.

"What about you?"

"Oh well I have enough now to pay the water and electric bills and still have enough left over for some pizza." he grinned.

"Didn't you have pizza yesterday?" he asked.

"You can never have too much pizza." he smirked in response.

"…okay, whatever." he shrugged, before looking at his devil bringer with a frown.

"What'sa matter?"

"Nothing. I need to go shopping for a few things. You got a car I can use?" he asked, starting to pull his clothes back on.

"Can you drive?"

"Yeah."

"Knock yourself out, kid. It's out back." he stated jerking his thumb towards the back of the shop. Nero nodded, grabbed the keys off Dante's desk and was gone.

* * *

Dante sat at his desk after the kid had left, his feet propped up on said piece of furniture and a magazine over his face, trying to take a nap, and finding sleep not forthcoming. Nero was stuck in his mind like gum on the bottom of his shoe.

But what about the punk made him so special? At least special enough to attract the son of Sparda's attention? He was certainly physically attractive enough. Yeah, he was some definite eye candy, his snowy hair and fiery blue eyes, pale skin and toned body would probably be enough to drive anyone crazy.

Dante felt his lips curve in a lazy smirk, but damn if he didn't respect the little punk. The younger teen had walked right into his shop and asked for a job-asked to be tested by the son of Sparda himself for said job and didn't flinch from the fight. He had some serious balls, and Dante most definitely respected that.

* * *

And we start to see Dante's feelings developing ;3 Always a good thing. Hope you enjoyed chapter 4! Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth April 1, 2010


	5. Chapter 5 Wolfe Attack

Tick Tock CHAPTER 5

furesesse1: Yep, even when they're only a year apart Dante still calls Nero kid X3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Pushka: Mm-mm, Dante playing nurse-it is kinda hot XD I'm glad you like the interaction between them it can be a little hard at times seeing as DMC3 Dante and Nero have never really met XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

.there: I'm glad you like the plot and everything, sorry there wasn't more XD And I think your story is great too! I'm pretty sure that the blood-goyles don't appear in DMC 4 so Nero would never have fought them before :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: Yes, Dante is starting to develop some feeling towards Nero. The story will probably continue at a bit of a slower pace than the others :3 but I think that'll be better than the others. As for if and/or how Nero will/will not return to the future will be determined later. Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Ellocin: Yes, Dante and Nero both being shirtless is always a good thing :D You have to love it when the seme is being all caring. I'm glad you liked the writing, that's a great compliment :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Noboru: Very short review! XD Thanks for it anyway, it lets me know at least that you liked the chapter :3 *gives cookies*

* * *

_1 month later…_

Amazingly an entire month had passed with Nero living at Devil May Cry. He liked it there now that he was finally settled into it. He had managed enough money to get a comfortable amount of furniture in his bedroom. He seemed to be going on more and more dual missions with Dante at his side, and he was actually enjoying it. While he'd seen the older male fight before, he found that he was continuously learning as he watched the red clad half-devil fight.

What he was most surprised about was that he barely missed Fortuna. Of course he missed talking to Kyrie but other than that he had everything he needed and wanted here. He had a solid job, food-even if it was constantly pizza, as well as Dante and Lady's friendship.

Currently the three were playing a game of pool. Nero was teamed with Dante so the son of Sparda would at least have a chance against the brunette. The wager was whoever won got the next mission to come in.

Nero leaned on his pool stick and lightly smiled.

"What cha smilin' about kiddo?" Dante asked jovially, throwing his arm around the younger slayer.

"Damn it Dante-I swear if you call me kid-or any other variation again I'm going to kick your ass!" he growled, though a slight grin remained on his face. While the Dante from his time had so much more experience and skill that he could whoop Nero pretty well he found that he and Dante from this period were fairly evenly matched and he had fun going all out against the son of Sparda.

"Whatever you say, ki-"

"Hey!" Lady caught their attention and pointed a finger at them.

"What?" they asked blankly.

"It your turn." she answered.

Nero couldn't help but laugh. "Okay Dante, you're up. Try not to fuck us over too badly." he teased.

The younger slayer had to stare as he watched Dante lean over the pool table lining up his shot, the muscles on his back rippled plainly in view since Dante didn't wear his coat in the shop…or a shirt for that matter and Nero got a great view of his ass.

The younger slayer glanced up and blushed brightly when he saw Lady staring at him with a knowing look on her face.

"Ha! YES!" Dante cheered as he sunk one of the striped balls.

"Hey uh…Dante…" Nero began.

"…We're solids this round aren't we?"

"…yeah."

"Damn it."

* * *

They finished up the round and Nero sunk enough balls and put Lady in a bad enough position by doing so that they won.

"Ha!" Dante high-fived the younger hunter. "Nice moves ki-" Nero shot him a look. "-Nero."

"Guess that means that you guys get the next mission. So no reason for me to stick around here." Lady shrugged as she grabbed Katalina Ann and strapped it over her shoulder. She winked at Nero before walking out, making him blush.

"What was that for?" Dante asked skeptically.

"What are you talking about?" Nero asked, embarrassed.

Dante mimicked Lady's saunter and winked at Nero making him blush further and punch the older slayer in the shoulder.

Dante laughed. "You think Lady's got the hots for you kid?"

"No! I mean-even if she did it's not like I'd be inte-I mean she's pretty and everything but-agh!" he decided to shut up before he dug himself in any deeper.

Unfortunately Dante's eyes started to glimmer and he wasn't going to let this opportunity slip by. "You wouldn't be interested, hmm? Why's that?"

"None of your business!" he said, wearing a blush that could put a tomato to shame.

"You saying-?" he was cut off as the phone started to ring. "Looks like you're saved by the bell." he slammed his fist against the desk and caught the phone out of the air.

"You are such a showoff." Nero said, rolling his eyes as Dante talked to the client. Silently he was grateful that the phone rang otherwise he was sure he would've just made an ass of himself. He'd liked Dante after the whole ordeal with the Savior, but he hadn't realized he was sexually attracted to him until after he'd broken up with Kyrie.

"Hey kid! Hello!?" Dante said loudly, snapping his fingers in front of the younger male's face. "Earth to Nero."

"Knock it off!" he growled.

"We have a job, so get your gear and let's go."

"What is it?" the younger teen inquired picking up his weapons.

"Spider creature."

"Like Arachne?" (1)

"Bigger." he replied, eyes glowing with excitement.

"Where at?"

"The park downtown."

"I'll race you there." Nero grinned.

* * *

The two arrived at roughly the same time; Nero just shortly behind the older hunter. Once there they saw a large, hairy, black spider feasting on the spider web wrapped remains of a human.

"Sorry to interrupt, but you have another appointment." Dante grinned, retrieving Rebellion from his back and pointing it at the spider.

Wolfe looked, up, displeased that his meal had been interrupted. He hissed loudly lifting his chelicerae to expose his fangs in rage(2).

Dante tended to like to make the monsters come to him and like the many others that had fallen before him, Wolfe decided on the same response and charged straight forward with his fangs exposed, hoping to sink them into the son of Sparda.

Nero dove to the side but Dante stood still, smirk in place, until Wolfe reached him. Fangs drove towards him and Dante used his sword to block the dripping appendages. The spider made a strange growling sound as it jerked back and quickly spun around, it's abdomen smacking into the red clad devil knocking him into a nearby tree.

Nero had been sneaking around to attack the spider from the side when he heard the dull thwacking sound of skull hitting bark and looked over to find his partner dazed against a tree. Rebellion sat only a few inches from his hand. Nero lunged towards the spider but was knocked away by one of it's large legs.

Dante started to open his eyes and felt some kind of weight starting to press against his chest, upon looking down he saw that he was starting to be encased in webbing. He struggled as Wolfe turned back towards him but it was no use the webbing seemed as strong as steel cables.

Nero quickly rolled to his feet running towards the trapped man. His heart shuttered in his chest when he saw Wolfe lunge towards the man in red.

"No! Dante!" he gasped, he jerked Blue Rose out of her holster and jumped in front of Dante shooting three consecutive shots into the demon's face, hoping to keep himself from getting chomped on. He was lucky that he'd aimed for Wolfe's eyes. A few of his bullets struck true and the spider screamed and reared back away from them.

Nero felt anger rush through his body and he shot forward. He grabbed one of the spider's legs with his ghostly devil arm and yanked backwards, causing the demon to topple onto it's back, struggling wildly to right itself. The slayer immediately seized Red Queen and hit the throttle making the blade ignite before slashing through Wolfe's abdomen. The spider screamed as he was burned and cut open.

Dante was still struggling in the spider silk, but he was woven to the tree from his shoulders down to his knees, he had no way to manipulate the edges of the sticky stuff. He would just have to look out for the kid where he was.

Nero hacked, slashed and incinerated all of the vital organs he could get to in the spider's soft abdomen. Wolfe managed to get himself turned over and snapped for the younger devil, fangs glistening with poison. Nero grabbed said fang with his devil bringer before it could impale him anywhere. He yanked the chelicerae forward and brought Red Queen down, slicing it off. Wolfe screamed, and the devil slayer threw the useless appendage over his shoulder, before giving a cry of his own as he drove his flaming sword into the creature's head, via one of it's eyes. Once there he revved the blade one more time, making sure that when the thing was down it wasn't getting back up again.

Wolfe went limp and Nero panted over his body before yanking out his sword and flicking the blood off it as he turned towards Dante.

The older male whistled, "Great show kid, but can ya get me off this tree?"

Nero walked over, his heart was still pounding in his chest. He placed his still red hot blade onto his back and picked up Rebellion, starting to cut the older man loose.

"Why's your heart beating so fast kid? You totally handled that guy." Dante chirped.

"Damn it Dante! You're such an idiot!" he growled instead, he'd been worried-terrified that the older male had been about to die, but he'd rather yell at him than admit it. "That thing was like a semi doing a U-turn and you didn't even try to dodge! Did you think it wouldn't hurt!? That thing had a huge ass!"

Dante smirked. "Aw kid, were you worried about me?"

"Will you stop calling me kid!?" he grumbled, managing to get the man in red cut loose.

Dante continued to grin as he brushed some of the webs off him. "I didn't know you cared so much kid!"

"I don-Dante!" he protested as the older male hugged him and wouldn't let go. Nero rolled his eyes and pat the other man's shoulder. "Okay, fine, you can let go of me now."

Dante chuckled nervously as he tried to pull away.

"Oh you have _got_ to be kidding me!" the younger sighed. Apparently the webs had made Dante's coat sticky enough to hold them together. "How are we gonna get home?"

"That is a very good question…" Dante mumbled.

* * *

(1) Arachne are the spider demons in DMC3 We're assuming Nero has seen some in the last month ;)

(2) Okay, spider anatomy time. The chelicerae are those little fang like appendages in front of a spider's mouth, they often have needle like appendages on the end, that inject poison.

And so the duo are stuck together in a VERY awkward position XD Hope you guys liked chapter 5! Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth April 5, 2010


	6. Chapter 6 Shock Therapy

Tick Tock CHAPTER 6

furesesse1: Webs randomly sticking the two together, yep, I thought it made a pretty fun plot device XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: Oh awkward situations-aren't they great!? XD Nero is a terrible liar, but Dante obviously isn't a very good lie detector anyway-I mean he trusts Trish in DMC1 XD thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Noboru: I'm glad you like it :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Ellocin: You'll see how they're getting home soon enough. Nero was very worried when Dante almost had his face bitten off XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

hugh-helsing: I'm glad you like Tick Tock so far, here's some more! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Yoshi333: I'm glad you like the idea, I thought it was a great opportunity :3 I love the fact that Dante still calls Nero 'kid' too, it's funny :D Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Pushka: Lady has one of the most powerful forces in the world! A woman's intuition XD Yeah, Wolfe was a nasty little critter. I like to give Nero his chance to shine once in awhile and I thought it would be hilarious if they got stuck together XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

This was betaed for me by LawlietsDarkAngel so I wanted to personally thank her for that! :3

So things are starting to get interesting between the duo, even more so in this chapter ;3 I think I better give you a heads up. Recently I've been posting every Sunday/Monday and Thursday. I'm planning to post next Monday, but I probably won't be able to update again until next Sunday. My sister's wedding is on April 16th and that has to take priority so I'm sure you guys understand! :3

I do not own Devil May Cry and I make no money from writing this story! Enjoy!

* * *

Nero sighed as he tried to coordinate his movements enough to walk while he was stuck from shoulder to stomach to Dante's body. He was walking with his head turned to look over his shoulder while he felt the older slayer's hands on his hips, carefully applying pressure when he wanted Nero to take a step back so he could take a step forward. The younger hunter was pretty sure this was the most awkward position he'd ever been in.

"So what happens if someone starts walking down the street?" he wondered.

"Don't worry. I got a plan."

"I think that worries me more than you know." the younger male stated with a slight smirk.

'_Maybe it should worry you kid.'_ Dante thought to himself, he wasn't really sure if the blue clad hunter would agree with his plan or not, but he was looking forward to the excuse. Someone had to be coming by soon.

He got his chance quickly enough. As soon as the younger teen heard footsteps he tensed up, eyes flickering around, trying to figure out whether or not they were going to be seen. He quickly deduced that they would be, someone was about to walk around the corner.

Before he could ask Dante what they should do, he felt his body whirled around and pressed between the older hunter's body and the cool brick wall of a small alley. His breath hitched, realizing Dante's lips were only a few millimeters from his own. He hesitantly closed the distance, gasping when the older half devil started to kiss him fiercely, his tongue slipping past the kid's slightly parted lips. Nero moaned softly, his right hand coming up to tangle in Dante's silver locks as he fought back in their tongue war.

He let out a growling moan of slight protest when the older teen's knee came up to rub against his groin. He grabbed hold of the older man's hair and pulled away from the kiss.

"Stop." he breathed.

"…Huh?" the older devil looked confused.

"We're going to get stuck in an even worse position." he stated, releasing his hair. "Besides we need to get to the shop and get unstuck-any idea of how to do that yet?" he wondered, trying to change the subject. He was too confused at the moment. They were making out in an alley, but was it because Dante had feelings for him too, or heat of the moment? Or was it a fake out for whoever had been walking by?

"Hmm." Dante rubbed his chin, unfazed as usual. "I got another idea."

"Oh great-What are you doi-!?" Nero gasped as Dante grabbed behind his thighs and leaned forward, causing the younger slayer's knees to buckle. The older male's hands slid down behind his knees and he pulled Nero's legs around his waist. In reaction to his center of balance being so radically shifted the kid's arms flew out and wrapped around Dante's neck. Thus they were cheek to cheek, seeing as how their chests were still glued together.

"I am going to kill you." Nero grumbled as he blushed as brightly as Dante's jacket while the older man ran down the street, carrying him like that.

"Look on the bright side-at least there's no one around."

* * *

The two actually made it to the shop without too much incident and Nero was unbelievably grateful, though now his legs were stuck to Dante the way they were. The older male walked up to the desk, sliding Nero onto it so he wasn't supporting all of the younger teen's weight.

"Yo, Nevan. Come on out here babe!"

Nero whipped his head to the side as he saw a flash of purple light out of the corner of his eye.

"What is tha-?" he cut off as he saw the woman. She had a light greenish tint to her skin and long red head hair that covered her exposed breasts, she had something like a cloak of darkness over her hands and barely covering her lower regions.

"What do you need, sugar?" she purred, her red eyes devouring the position the two men were currently stuck in. When she spoke it seemed like there were two or more people talking at the same time.

Nero's eyes narrowed slightly, a feeling akin to anger welling up inside him.

"We have a bit of a sticky predicament here." he stated, showing that he and Nero were stuck together.

"Hmm…" she mumbled, striding forward with a sway in her step.

The younger hunter wanted to growl at her, and Dante noticed the subtle change in the kid. _'He's jealous.' _he thought smirking slyly to himself.

"Let's see what I can do for you sugar." she was right next to them now and Nero had subdued his glare, but he was still frowning. "Well aren't you a pretty little thing?"

"Pretty?" the younger growled, taking offense.

Nevan smiled as her gaze landed on his devil arm. "Sorry sugar. I didn't realize that I was talking to another handsome devil." she winked. "Now let's see what I can do for you."

She lifted one hand and lightly blew purple smoke that crackled with electricity onto it before repeating the process with the other hand.

The younger half-devil tried to jerk away, but he was being held in place by Dante who didn't seem worried. Nevan placed one of her electrically charged hands onto each of the boy's shoulders. They felt the tingle of voltage but it wasn't painful. Nero shifted back slightly and to his surprise the strands holding him captive to Dante started to snap.

After a few more moments of the shock therapy they were free.

"Thanks babe." Dante smirked with a flirtatious wink.

"You can call on me any time sugar." she replied, blowing a kiss before there was another flash of light and it left behind a purple guitar with electricity for strings.

"So what the hell was that about?" Nero muttered, leaning back on his arms from his perch on the desk.

Dante leaned over to pick up his trusty devil arm, smirking knowingly to himself. "What? Nevan?"

"You have a _devil_ here?"

"She's not really a devil anymore."

"How can it not be a devil anymore!?"

"She's a devil _arm_ means that she promised to help me after I defeated her." he explained hanging the guitar back up in her usual place.

Nero snorted as he pushed himself off the desk. "Yeah, I bet she _'helps' _you all the time."

"Now wait kid, it's not like that-"

"Then what _is _it like?" he asked, turning to throw a glare over his shoulder.

Dante blinked harshly when he saw hurt and maybe some feelings of betrayal swirling in the younger devil's ice colored eyes. He hadn't meant to upset him…he'd just been playing with Nevan like he always did, maybe trying to make Nero a little jealous, but it wasn't that strange. Why was the kid taking it so hard?

"I was just playing around, you know? Like I always do." he tried to explain with a slight smile.

The hurt only intensified in Nero's blue pools, and Dante wondered what he'd said wrong-that wasn't the result he'd wanted to elicit.

"Yeah, like you always do," he muttered. "I'm going out for some air. Don't wait up for me."

Nero walked out the door as the older male blinked after him.

"What did I say?" he mumbled in confusion, scratching his head.

* * *

Aw! Poor Nero is angsty and Dante is clueless! As for how Nevan's voltage got the spider webs off: the voltage…counteracted the stickiness…and just don't think about it too much…just accept it. XD I really just wanted to use Nevan-so her powers work on demonic spider webs! XD Leave me a review please! :3 Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth April 8, 2010


	7. Chapter 7 Fox and Wolf

Tick Tock CHAPTER 7

SirenaLoreley: I try not to make Nero too emo, but he thinks that Dante used him, so he's kind of upset ) : Yes Dante did come up with the perfect excuse to kiss the daylights out of Nero XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Noboru: The end of the chapter was quite funny XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

furesesse1: Nero is very jealous and angry with Nevan and Dante has no idea what he said wrong XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Pushka: Dante did have a great idea right? XD And Nero most definitely wasn't complaining about it. I'm glad that you liked that Nero got jealous of Nevan, I thought it was an interesting turn of events. Even teenage Dante can't resist the kid! XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Ellocin: Poor, sad Nero, and Dante should be more careful with what he says. Thanks for the review and I'll let my sister know about the congrats XD *gives cookies*

Shiya64: I'm glad you like the story so much :3 I thought this was just a story that demanded to be written. Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

LawlietsDarkAngel betaed this for me again and I would like to thank her! :3 Remember I do not own Devil May Cry and I make no money for writing.

* * *

Nero walked down the dark streets. Spring was on it's way, so it wasn't unpleasantly cool, though it didn't lift the young hunter's spirits any.

'_Of course he was kidding with me…when isn't he messing around?'_ he thought sourly to himself as he kicked an empty beer can down the sidewalk. _'It was just a fake-out make-out to fool whoever was walking by. There really wasn't much other way to explain our position. Good thing I stopped before I made a complete idiot of myself.' _Though it didn't really help him feel like he wasn't one.

But what was he going to do now? It was a game to Dante, but…after what had happened with that spider…he had a crush on Dante-a strong one. He'd been terrified that the older slayer was going to be eaten…or at least poisoned.

So what did he do? Tell him how he felt? Yeah right, that would end up with him out on his ass on the street, or Dante's mockery forever, or some combination of the two. Oh yeah, and Lady had noticed him checking out the older hunter while they were playing pool. That probably wouldn't pan out too well, but if he bribed her with a few missions then maybe she'd keep her mouth closed.

Nero blinked back to reality in time to notice his devil bringer pulse brightly. A demon nearby? He hoped Dante hadn't followed him.

When he turned around however, all he saw was a flick of white heading down an alleyway. His interest piqued he cautiously went to see what it was, though he was pretty sure he'd seen the flash of the older boy's hair.

"Dante-?" he stopped when he realized it the flash of white had not been Dante's hair but the tail of the fox demon standing in front of him. She was small with long legs. While her face was rather angular the rest of her body was supple curves. She had long red hair, pointed furry red ears sticking out of her head and bright yellow eyes.

"I'm sorry…" she said in a cooing sort of tone, the kind reserved for pets and babies. "Were you expecting the son of Sparda? I'm Vixen."

Nero felt his eyes narrow and his lips twist into a smirk. Great, here was something he could take his frustrations out on. "I don't give a damn what your name is." he stated, reaching back for Red Queen's hilt. However, before he could get a grip he felt a hand clamp over his mouth and another wrap around his torso pinning his arms down to his sides. The half-devil struggled violently, twisting and tugging, but when he tried to kick, he felt weight lean down on him and he ended up down on one knee, making it even harder to struggle.

"MM!" he tried to scream through the hand muffling his voice.

"You should care about my name half-breed. Soon Canis and I will be known as the ones who brought the son of Sparda to his knees and killed him."

Nero struggled again, blinking when he felt his fingers brush Blue Rose's grip. He grabbed the firearm hastily, raising it and trying to shoot over his shoulder at his captor, but his trajectory was thrown off at the last second as Vixen grabbed his wrist and twisted it.

The devil hunter cried out as his wrist was snapped and his gun clattered to the ground. There was no way to get at Red Queen and no way he could fight with his devil bringer in the position he was currently trapped in.

He continued to try, he had to get away! He watched as Vixen walked over to a trash can and pulled out a metal pipe. His face paled and his frosty blue eyes widened with fear as the fox demon drew back the pipe and cracked him over the head. Unfortunately unconscious wouldn't come so easily.

* * *

Dante sat behind his desk with his head propped up on his hands wrestling over what he'd said wrong and how he could make it up to the kid when he got back.

"Perhaps it is what you said…"

Dante's eyes slid over to glare slightly towards a duo of swords sticking out of his wall, one was red and the other blue. He wasn't sure which one had spoken.

"I know I didn't hear one of you talking…but if I did then what do you think I said wrong?" he sighed.

"Perhaps it was when you said that you were always joking." the blue one, Rudra suggested.

"Yes, perhaps he thought that-" Agni was cut off by the devil slayer.

"He thought I was joking when I kissed him…" he mumbled in realization. His head jerked up when he heard a swift knock on the door.

"We're closed!" he snapped. Another brisk knock had him growling as he walked towards the door and threw it open. He scanned the area but saw no one. He shook his head and looked down. There on his front step was the kid's gun and taped to it was a piece of paper. He quickly swept up the firearm his worried blue hues scanning the hastily scribbled words.

'_We have your partner, come to 45712 E Inferno Boulevard unarmed by midnight tonight or else we might get bored and have to play with him._

_~Vixen and Canis'_

* * *

And this chapter is a good example of why ukes should not wander off on their own. So what's going to happen next!? XD You'll have to wait and find out! :3 Sorry for the short chapter, I've been crazy busy with the wedding. Probably won't update again until sometime next week! Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth April 11, 2010


	8. Chapter 8 Captured

Tick Tock CHAPTER 8

furesesse1: Yep, Nero is always getting into trouble! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: Very bad news! We'll see if Dante gets to Nero in time! Thanks for the review!*gives cookies*

Shiya64: Yes! Dante to the rescue! Glad you like it! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Noboru: Gasp! Very suspenseful! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Pushka: True, the uke in peril does mean that the seme has to come to the rescue! :3 I like Vixen too and the fact that she's a fox demon :D Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Yoshi333: Nero really should learn to be less cocky :3 and yes, at some point I will explain how they got to where they are in the future. Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Ellocin: Ukes definitely shouldn't wander off! I'm glad you like Vixen :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

My beta LawlietsDarkAngel gave this a read over to make sure that I didn't have too many mistakes so thank you! :3

My sister's wedding was yesterday and I am SO tired XD But it was a lot of fun.

* * *

'We have your partner, come to 45712 E Inferno Boulevard unarmed by midnight tonight or else we might get bored and have to play with him.

~Vixen and Canis'

Nero's head swam as he cracked his eyes open. He tried to pull his arm forward to block the light from his throbbing head, but all he got was the sound of metal clinking against metal and his arm jerking short, as well as a swift and agonizing pain shooting up from his wrist. He whimpered. The sound was still muffled, but this time it was due to the piece of duct tape that was holding his lips shut.

The pain in his skull became more acute and radiated from his left temple, his blood had soaked into his platinum colored hair as well as dripped across his porcelain skin and down his neck. The crimson liquid had mostly coagulated leaving his face and neck sticky.

There was still a slow trickle of it however. He noticed as it rolled down the his forehead, dripping off the end of his nose and his eyelashes as he blinked. It was one of his lesser worries, but he also took into account that his left eye was sore and probably bruised. He had to look like hell.

One of the demons must have heard him before as he heard footsteps approaching. He didn't dare try to move his head, feeling that if he did that it would explode. He wanted to take in his surroundings, but so far all he could see was that he was on an old metal chair, the floor was made of concrete and there was a blood caked drain on the floor.

Unfortunately he felt a male hand grab his chin and jerk his head up. He growled in protest, squinting up and seeing white hair.

"Dante?" he tried to ask weakly, though it sounded like 'mmon-ne?' with the tape still hindering his speech.

He stopped though when he saw piercing yellow eyes staring down at him. He tried to shake his head out of the demon's grasp. His brain swam again and he was no closer to being free than a moment before. He growled angrily taking a closer look at his captor. He was about Dante's size and stature, but there were furry, pointed silver ears protruding from the silver hair as well as silver tail swaying behind him. He seemed to be the counterpart of the fox demon. It was Canis who stood before him and he was a wolf demon.

"You're not all that threatening with your own blood smeared all over your face, pup."

Great, so he went from kid to pup, just lovely. He glowered.

"Take the tape off." Vixen said from somewhere in the background.

Nero was met with a swift pulling sensation over his mouth a second later.

"OW!" he grouched.

"So it's getting close to midnight and the son of Sparda has yet to show his accursed face. Happen to know why?" the fox demon queried, red tail swishing from the machine she was atop of.

Nero managed to look around. He was in a slaughterhouse. 'Well, that seems ironic.' he thought to himself.

"I'm talking to you human!"

"I told him not to wait up, he's probably asleep." he grumbled, licking the crusted blood away from his lips.

"We know he got our message."

"So you think that Dante is going to come charging in here to save me?" he spat some of his blood to the floor. "He doesn't care about me that much. He lets me stay and take extra missions so he can make rent."

"I think you're underestimating your own abilities there kid."

Nero painfully forced himself to look up to see Dante sitting in one of the windows as if he'd been enjoying the show, though his eyes were hard.

'Perfect, now I'm hallucinating.'

Only it couldn't have been an illusion or the two demons wouldn't have been reacting. Dante was here, his head started to spin again.

Dante leapt gracefully down from the windowsill, his crimson coat fluttering behind him. Ebony and Ivory rested snugly in their holsters and Cerberus was safely fastened under his coat behind his back so the demons wouldn't be able to see that he was in fact armed.

"So it's two against one, eh? That seems a little unfair." he lightly smirked.

"Who said there's going to be a fight? You were suppose to come unarmed or else your partner suffers."

The older man looked over and Nero quickly looked away, ashamed of putting Dante in this position, of needing to be rescued. The younger hunter pulled on his devil bringer trying to tear it free of the handcuff and had to bite back a yelp as it tugged on his broken wrist. If he'd been handcuffed to something solid he would have been able to escape, but as it was…

"Looks like you guys already did quite a number on him. I think you broke that little rule before you even sent me that note." he said, nonchalantly as he took a few steps forward.

Vixen slid off the machine she had been sitting on, placing both demons now in his way to the young hunter.

Dante's eyes flared red. "You're going to take me down? Come on then, let's do it." he smirked as a shadow version of himself slid up standing back to back with him.

* * *

And I will now bring you a short based on a game I've been playing with my roomie-I'm sure you guys have heard of it at some point ;) The girl is my roommate 'T' who helped me come up with this.

Dante walked down the sidewalk enjoying the cool breeze. He looked over to a nearby parking lot filled with a plethora of different cars one of which was a green Volkswagen Beetle. He paused to look at the tiny car when a girl ran up and punched him in the arm.

"Slugbug green no slug backs!" she shouted before sprinting off.

"Hey! What the hell?" he grumbled in confusion.

"It's the slugbug game." Nero stated, walking up next to the older hunter.

"What does that mean?"

A yellow bug drove down the road and the younger hunter punched Dante in the shoulder with his bringer. "Yellow one, no slug backs."

"OW!" he growled, this one actually hurting since it was delivered by the kid.

"See? You see a Volkswagon Beetle and then you sock someone in the arm. Not that hard of a concept." he chuckled with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Why!?"

"Because it's fun." he laughed, rubbing his nose.

The girl ran by again, once more hitting the man in red. "Black one!" she said happily, continuing her sprint.

Dante drew Ebony quickly and fired in her direction. The girl screamed and ducked behind a tree. "It's just a game!"

"I know," he smirked. "But you didn't say 'no slug backs.'"

8D you get it? A bullet is also called a slug? *nudge nudge* Anyway. Hopefully all of you know the slugbug game or it's going to go right over your head 0.0 Any who, until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth April 17, 2010


	9. Chapter 9 Slaughterhouse Showdown

Tick Tock CHAPTER 9

Pushka: I'm glad you like Canis, I'm kind of fond of him, he's not such a bad demon really :3 I love it when Dante has to come and save Nero too, always awesome! And slugbug is annoying. After a while I just want to smack my roommate in the face! XD I won't though :3 I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Noboru: wow! Yeah! :3 Dante to the rescue! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Ellocin: Dante is off to save the day! I'm glad you like Canis too! :3 I must be good at this making bad guys thing XD I also agonized over describing Nero's wounds because I had the perfect vision of him in mind. I thought that slugbug with the 'slug' was a great play on words ;3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: Dante comes to save the day! And Nero is a tough kid I'm sure he's not too busted up ;3 Playtime is definitely over and Dante is going to kick some ass! \m/ XD Oh, and Dante does pwn at slugbug. I don't think I would play with him 0.o Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Shiya64: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the story! :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Mimi-ride-nationwide: You're the second person who said punchbuggy XD We do slugbug here. Besides punchbuggy wouldn't have had the cool play on words that I needed to make it funny XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

I'm updating right now to avoid a speech I have to write for Tuesday! ACK! XD I know, it's terrible!

LawlietsDarkAngel betaed for me again and she really helped with this chapter because I picked it apart and pieced it back together more than once XD So it was nice to have her there to catch my mistakes-Thank you!

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Dante felt his shadow doppelganger pressed against his back. If they were looking for a two on one they would be severely disappointed, especially if they expected it from the real devil slayer. His priority was getting Nero out alive. Killing these two would just be icing on the cake for hurting the younger man.

"You heard me. Let's go." Dante grumbled impatiently.

Canis was the first to take the bait as he lunged forward. However Vixen moved back towards Nero. The devil hunter flicked the fingers of his right hand forward and his shadow flew between the fox demon and the younger slayer. Her breath hitched as she pulled up short.

Dante pulled out Ebony and Ivory and started shooting at the wolf demon while Doppelganger repeated the action with Vixen. The fox demon was close enough that she was hurt by the bullets as she backpedaled flipping up onto one of the machines. Canis dodged the flying hunks of lead until he got to close proximity to the man in red, causing Dante to reveal Cerberus.

"Sorry, you didn't quite count on this." he smirked, flipping the nunchaku a few times before twisting and spinning his body through the air, the wolf demon backed out of the way of any physical contact with the weapon, but when Dante slammed the ground ice flew out and smashed into the wolf demon making him roar in pain. Dante rolled to his feet, swinging Cerberus above his head as he did so the devil arm making direct contact with Canis's head.

"Dante!" Nero's voice was weak, but full of warning. Unfortunately his attention went to the younger hunter instead of to the actual threat. While he was distracted Vixen's feet came into contact with his back sending the slayer stumbling. The fox demon had swung down on an old meat hook which she promptly threw towards Dante's head.

Nero started struggling once again as the hook came into contact with the older slayer's head. He found that the pain in his wrist was still too much however and the movement made his own skull start to swirl again.

Dante kicked back though, grabbing the chain he kicked himself off the ground and brought his boot down on the fox demon's face. She squealed and backpedaled again, holding her nose and glaring. She reached behind her back and produced a sword with a hook on the end.

"Bringing out the big guns, eh?" he lightly smirked pulling out Ebony and Ivory and shooting at her. This time was different however as she skillfully twisted out of the way or blocked the bullets with her blade. "Guess you were holding back before."

"I did not expect you to react in such a manner, I thought that after losing your brother you would have learned not to become attached to those weak of will." she smiled evilly.

Dante's blue orbs turned even icier and glanced over to check on the younger hunter. Canis was trying to get closer to Nero, but Doppelganger was keeping him busy. Dante gasped as Vixen lunged forward, slicing down at him, he rolled out of the way just in time and the hooked blade hit the floor making sparks fly and leaving a clean slice in the concrete.

"Red Queen!" Nero was pretty sure he was going to be passing out again fairly soon due to the blood loss, but at least he had to do something to help Dante win.

"Huh?"

"Red Queen! Use her!" he shouted, glancing at the doppelganger and wolf demon fighting nearby. Black spots started to cover his vision and his hearing dissolved to nothing but white noise.

Dante looked around and saw that the blade was leaning up against one of the machines nearby. He pulled out Ebony, using the gun to shoot Vixen in the leg as he scrambled over to grab the hilt of the kid's signature blade. He twisted the throttle and the sword hummed to life in his hand. Oh yeah, this would definitely work.

The fox demon lunged at him again with a growl, swinging her blade only to have it blocked by Red Queen. Dante pulled on the trigger near his hand covering the customized blade in a flammable liquid which quickly did what it was intended to by lighting and singeing Vixen.

The demon jumped backwards, but Dante quickly slashed forward again, only to miss as the demon bent over completely backwards, kicking up and catching the half-devil in the chin. Dante followed the momentum and did a back flip, swinging Red Queen once again as he landed and catching Vixen's midsection as she righted herself.

She screamed as blood spilled out of her belly and she doubled over, her sword shot forward and hooked behind Dante's boot, a swift pull put the red clothed hunter onto his back, Nero's sword skittering out of his grasp. He thankfully still had his grip on Ebony however and as Vixen raised her sword to decapitate him he let out a barrage of bullets into her chest and head.

The hooked blade clattered noisily to the floor, followed by a dull thump and a few drops of blood splattered onto Dante's clothes. The hunter quickly jumped to his feet, looking around and making sure both threats were down. His double was losing power and after a moment the wolf demon smashed through him-heading straight for Nero.

"No!" Dante gasped and felt his devil trigger take over his body in a swift flash of red light. He ran forward getting in front of Canis just in time to block his way. The demon's yellow eyes were filled with anguish and he lunged for the son of Sparda with a roar of fury. He struck out with his claws, but his heart didn't seem to be in it and the slayer dodged the moves easily.

After a few more rounds of the slash-dodge dance the wolf demon fell to his knees. Dante was puzzled, shifting back to his human form and taking a hesitant step towards him. Once in reach Canis slashed at him.

"What is your deal?" the hunter demanded.

"Just kill me already!" he barked.

"Well that's a first." he mumbled.

"You killed her."

"Hmm." he mumbled, then his eyes landed on Nero.

The kid was in bad shape which became blatantly apparent now that he was closer. The whole right side of the younger teen's face was caked in dried blood, all of it his own, and his eye on the same side was black. He had to get him out of here and cleaned up.

The hunter looked back at the wolf demon. "Fine, I'll make it quick." he pulled out Ivory. One decisive shot to the brain and he fell over dead. Dante shook his head and holstered his weapon before turning his attention to the younger man.

He walked around behind Nero where his hands were cuffed together with regular handcuffs. _'Why didn't he break out of these?' _he wondered, leaning down to snap the chain, as he did however Nero grunted in pain. He looked down and saw the kid's wrist was purpled and twisted at a strange angle. He had to throw a glare at the two bodies on the floor. They'd broken the kid's wrist and left it to heal incorrectly, which meant that he would have to re-break it so it could heal properly and even then he knew that Nero didn't heal as fast as him and he'd probably be out of commission for a few days.

He sighed and pulled the smaller male into his arms, lightly kissing his blood smeared forehead before grabbing Red Queen and heading out of the abandoned slaughterhouse.

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Poor kid! He couldn't even do anything to help in his weakened state, but at least Dante was there to save him! :3 I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I posted today so I will hopefully be back on schedule ;3 Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth April 18, 2010


	10. Chapter 10 Doctor Dante

Tick Tock CHAPTER 10

furesesse1: Your review to ch. 8: I liked the coat fluttering behind Dante, it's so cool, and it's what he always does! XD Slugbug makes me want to beat the crap out of my roommate actually XD but it made a great short.

Your review to ch. 9: Thanks! I try really hard to write fight scenes, usually I feel like I'm not very good at them. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: Yes, Nero is safe with Dante *drool* XD This chapter is pretty awesome, but it may not go the way you expect ;3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Blue-Moons169: I'm glad you like the story 8D and I love DMC 3 I actually finally found a picture that has DMC 3 Dante and DMC 4 Nero in it! I made it my wallpaper, and it pleases meh! I'm glad you enjoyed the fight, hope you enjoy the fluff too! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Ellocin: Dante was pretty pissed off when he realized just how badly Nero was hurt. Poor kid, good thing Dante is there to kiss his boo-boos XD You can play co-op with Doppelganger!? That's awesome! When I get to that point again maybe I'll ask my roommate if she wants to play with me XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Pushka: Happy that you liked the fight! I really wanted to use Dark Dante, :3 ftw! And Vixen's sword was cool and fun to fight with. Oh yeah…and Dante is always sexy when he fights! XD I loved that little moment of tenderness at the end when Dante kisses his forehead, so adorable! ^_^ Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Noboru: Nero is now safely in Dante's arms! :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Yoshi333: Nero is safe with Dante to take care of him :3 It'll be awhile before it's explained how this is cannon XD but it's a good explanation, don't worry! I know, Canis and Vixen aren't really that terrible…just a bit XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Shiya64: Yes, poor Nero is pretty banged up, and I think you'll be happy to see how this chapter starts ;3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

XD I had 9 reviews for chapter 9!

Thank you LawlietsDarkAngel for betaing for me again! :3 And I would like to take the time to thank all my reviewers and everyone who reads this! I love you all, you inspire me to keep writing :3

Finals are coming up in about 2 weeks, which either means a speed up or slow down in writing, just sort of depends XD And summer is coming up too, and that always means a slowdown, but that's not for a few weeks so we'll just see what happens! As always I do not own DMC, Dante, Nero or Lady! Enjoy!

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Nero felt strong arms wrapped around him and the sensation of motion as he came to. His head was still pounding and his wrist hurt but he was fairly certain that his wounds had finally stopped bleeding. He groaned softly and the motion stopped. He cracked his eyes open to look at who was holding him.

"Finally coming around kid?"

"Yeah." he mumbled, seeing Dante's face. "Why'd you come?"

"I wasn't gonna let them kill you. I like ya too much for that to happen." he smiled.

Nero shifted to place his devil bringer around Dante's neck as he started walking again. He winced as his left wrist shifted.

"Damn…why hasn't this healed yet?" he grumbled.

"It has, but it's the wrong way, I'll fix it once we get back to the shop." there was a silence between them for a few moments. "So…ya gonna tell me what happened?"

Nero grunted in response. "Later. My head hurts."

Dante nodded and after a few minutes the two arrived at Devil May Cry. The older slayer kicked the door open so he could walk inside and kick it closed again. Nero's head lolled against his shoulder, as if he was just too tired to do anything with it. He laid the kid onto the couch before kneeling next to him and gently taking his left hand, getting a soft hiss of pain in response.

"This is gonna hurt a lot more kid, brace yourself."

Nero brought his bringer up to his mouth and placed his teeth on the tough armor. After another moment Dante applied pressure, getting a loud snap from the younger hunter's wrist and a muffled scream as Nero bit down.

"Sorry kid." he murmured both of his thumbs rubbing over the back of Nero's wrist as he held it in the right position.

The younger slayer let go of his bringer to take in a breath. "Holy damn that was mother fucking painful."

"Yeah, I know. Don't try to move it yet. Stay put." he advised, before standing up and heading to the back of the shop.

Nero watched for a moment, but the older hunter quickly disappeared from sight. Once gone the blue clad slayer tried to push himself up into a sitting position, only to be forced back down by his aching skull.

The older man returned carrying a few things. He dropped some white pills into the younger hunter's glowing palm.

"Take those, they should help with your head." Dante suggested, holding an open can of tomato juice out for him to take as well. Nero popped the pills into his mouth before taking the juice to help swallow them.

"Thanks." he managed. He sighed and lightly closed his eyes, laying limply on the couch, at least until he felt something warm and wet rub over his forehead. He'd been too distracted by the aspirin to notice that the older man had been carrying a washcloth in his other hand and was now cleaning the dried blood off his face lightly chuckling at his reaction.

If Nero had had any blood to spare he was sure it would have been flooding to his cheeks.

"Dante!" He complained, but made no move to stop him…it felt good, and he was so damn tired.

"They sure made a mess of you," Dante murmured. "So tell me what happened." he prompted, gently wiping the crimson stain off his cheek.

"Well…I headed out…and my bringer started to glow so I thought it was you. When I turned around I thought I saw your hair as you ducked into an alley. Only problem was when I looked, it wasn't you. It was that fox demon. I wasn't paying attention and the other one snuck up on me and pinned my arms…" he paused as Dante cleaned the blood off his left eye.

"So they got the jump on you. Not that surprising-I mean you're good but typically they work alone or in hordes. I wouldn't have expected anyone to be waiting in the wings either."

"Right," he sighed, although he figured that Dante was just saying that to make him feel better. "So anyway he pinned down my arms and got me down on one knee. From there at least I could reach Blue-" he gasped. "Blue Rose!"

The man in red grabbed his shoulders before he could shoot off the couch and do more damage to himself. "Cool it Nero! They gave it to me with the message. Red Queen and Blue Rose are both here."

The younger slayer huffed a sigh and laid back down. "I grabbed Blue Rose and tried to shoot him-unfortunately the bitch snapped by wrist and made me lose it." he stated going silent.

"Then uh, how did you get the massive bleeding?" he asked, holding up the blood stained cloth.

"The fox girl grabbed a pipe and bashed me in the fucking head with it until I passed out." he grumbled.

"Nero?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you take off like that?"

"I just needed some time to think."

"And what did you come up with?"

"That getting your head bashed in with a pipe hurts." he lightly chuckled, hoping to brush it off with a joke.

"You left because you were thinking about the kiss, right?" he stated.

Nero hesitated. "N-no. No!" he said firmly. "I get that. We were stuck in the world's most awkward position. There was no way to explain that we got stuck that way with demonic spider webs. Looking like we were making out was the only logical explanation." he said, redirecting his gaze to an interesting sword on the wall.

"Nero…" he trailed off, this was hard to say. "I…wasn't faking."

The younger teen's eyes snapped to his, searching. The look clearly stated 'Don't-be-fucking-with-me-Dante.' "So you kissed me like that…?" he trailed off.

"I kissed you like that because I wanted to, and obviously you weren't complaining." he smirked, leaning over the younger hunter. "Do you want me to do it again?"

Apparently Nero had regenerated enough blood to make his face light up pink.

"Well?" he whispered.

The younger male swallowed. "Yes." he murmured.

Dante smirked. "What was that? I didn't quite-"

He was cut off as Nero's devil bringer buried in his hair and yanked his lips down to his own. The kiss was slower than their first, each of them exploring and getting their bearings. Nero felt warmth spread from his head to his toes as the older man's tongue brushed against his lips asking for entry. The younger slayer's own slick appendage rubbed against Dante's.

They fought for dominance, which neither seemed to get the upper hand in, until they needed to breathe. After a few minutes they pulled apart. Nero smiled slightly before his eyelids fell heavily, covering his blue hues, just unable to stay awake any longer.

Dante blinked before chuckling, the kid was totally exhausted from fighting all day and healing. He grabbed the cloth he'd been using to clean the blood off Nero's face and used it to clean some of his red stained hair. Once satisfied with this task he, threw the towel away picked the young slayer up off the couch. Nero lightly nuzzled towards the older teen's warmth and Dante grinned, carrying him upstairs and straight into his own bedroom.

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Aw…Dante is being so nice and caring! :3 Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, leave me a review and tell me what you think! Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth April 22, 2010


	11. Chapter 11 Morning After

Tick Tock CHAPTER 11

Pushka: Fluffy fluff chapter is fluffy! XD I actually liked writing the part where Nero's wrist got rebroken. It shows that he trusts Dante enough not to screw it up more XD I loved the chapter title, Dr. Dante has a great ring to it. Dante figured it was his place to explain the kiss even though Nero ended it, he did start it. And Nero didn't feel like repeating himself XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

furesesse1: The last chapter Dante was very sweet :3 Thanks for reviewing!

Ellocin: The wrist rebreaking scene I spent some time thinking about :3 I liked writing it, even though it was painful for poor Nero. Thanks for the coding stuff! I'll have to try it out :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: Mushy and fluffy chapters are fun to write X3 and Dante was so sweet in that chapter. Dante's insecurity, at least in this arena, definitely goes along with the fact that he's pretty young still. And no one has said the 'magic words' yet. Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Noboru: I guess you'll just have to read and see what happens ;3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Blue-Moons169: I love Dante being all sweet too, it's too adorable! 3 And I thought the chapter title was very fitting XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Shiya64: I'm glade I could make your day :3 And I never get tired of hearing from my readers! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies

Thanks LawlietsDarkAngel for betaing again! :3 I don't own Devil May Cry and all that jazz! Enjoy!

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Nero woke up pressed against something warm, an arm draped over his hip and Dante's scent filling his nose. The younger male's blue hues slid open. He was in Dante's room. He could tell due to the clothes scattered across the floor.

Beams of dirty sunlight streamed between the slats of the blinds indicating it was probably late morning, but the younger couldn't find the will to drag himself away from the bed. His head and wrist didn't hurt quite as badly but his whole body seemed to ache dully as if drained of energy. Even his bringer seemed dim due to all the healing he'd had to do in the last twelve hours.

Nero felt Dante shift and as he did the older teen's fingers brushed his stomach, skin touching skin. Then he realized that his jacket, hoodie, shirt and jeans were all gone, he was just in his boxers with a red sheet hitched up over his hip where Dante's arm was.

The younger teen felt his face heat up as Dante nuzzled the back of his neck, warm breath washing over the sensitive flesh. Nero smiled softly as he looked over his shoulder at the slumbering slayer, Dante was only in his boxers as well. He took a moment to watch his sleeping face, before settling in again. He was in absolutely no hurry to go anywhere.

Dante had come to save him. He supposed that he shouldn't have been surprised. The older hunter had gotten him into a lot of scrapes, past, present and future, but he was always there to lend him a helping hand out again. He wasn't sure why he ever doubted him. Probably because everyone else had left him…either through death or abandonment. His parents and Credo who he'd looked at like a big brother had all died, and while he hated to think about it, he and Kyrie had been growing apart. The townspeople trying harder and harder to alienate the devil boy so that he would leave their quaint little town.

He knew that Dante would never do that to him…he didn't give a damn what anybody thought of him.

He lightly ran the fingers of his devil bringer up Dante's arm, his breath hitching when the older half-devil started kissing the back of his neck.

"Mornin' kid." he smiled lazily.

"I swear I am going to punch you in the face if you keep calling me kid-and if I'm a kid that must make you an old geezer."

"Hey-I'm not old!" he protested sleepily.

"Then I'm not a kid." he smirked, feeling confident that he'd finally outwitted the older hunter.

"Yeah, yeah. How's your noggin' kid?" he grinned in return, never seeming to tire of his game. Nero grunted as he rolled over so he was facing the other male.

"Better, not fantastic."

"Yeah, you still look pretty beat. Especially if your glow stick is anything to go b-" Dante had gently grabbed Nero's devil bringer, his fingers accidentally sliding between the plates of armor and touching the sensitive flesh it concealed. The younger slayer's gasp had caused him to stop and quickly release his arm. "Sorry-I didn't mean to hurt ya."

"Nah-it's okay." He blushed darkly. Fact was, he wasn't hurt, he'd gasped because the touch had felt good, not that he was ready to admit that. "How did I end up in your bed?" he wondered.

"Well, you passed out on the couch and I remember you sayin' something about my couch being a lumpy piece of shit, so I didn't want to leave you there."

Nero lightly chuckled. "Then why didn't you put me in my room?"

"Too lazy." he replied, folding his hands behind his head.

"But not too lazy to undress me I see."

"You were covered in blood." he shrugged.

"Yeah…I'm still pretty gross." he muttered, making a face as he ran his hand through his hair. "I'm going to take a shower," he stated, rolling out of the bed and heading for the door. He paused in the walkway and looked over his shoulder. "Hey."

"Yeah kid?" Dante smirked from the bed.

"…Thanks…for taking care of me last night…that was really…nice of you." he mumbled before walking out of the room.

Dante sighed when he was gone, rolling over to bury his face into the pillow the younger slayer had been using and passing out again.

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Nero got into the bathroom and closed the door before leaning on it, running his devil bringer through his hair.

'_Okay, so Dante saved my ass…I made out with him and then I passed out and woke up in his bed. I really hope he didn't do anything to me.'_ he lightly chuckled to himself at the thought. Like Dante would have to stoop so low as to groping him in his sleep. Though if he had Nero would never know anyway, his body was sore all over.

He shook his head and walked over to the shower, twisting on the taps, holding his human hand under the water to test the temperature. When it was warm enough he kicked off his boxers and stepped into the warm spray. The water soothed his sore muscles and as it trickled between the plates in his arm he lightly shuttered.

It made him think about Dante, when his fingers had touched the softly glowing blue flesh. He was the only person not utterly disgusted or freaked out of his arm. Typically no one touched it, and he hadn't liked to touch it himself before either since everyone else had thought of it as something to be feared. Recently, however, that feeling had abated. Dante didn't care and it seemed to have rubbed off on him as well, he'd stopped wearing his sling around, people vaguely knew who he was and didn't bother him.

Nero ran his hands roughly through his hair, causing the pink tinted water to drip off of him. He closed his eyes, still thinking about the older slayer. God, he _wanted _him. It was probably for the best that he'd passed out after that heated kiss. If he hadn't he might have done something he'd regret. He didn't want to end up a one night stand. And while Dante had said he wasn't faking, it just meant that he wanted to kiss him, not that he was in love.

Nero wasn't sure what he felt for the older slayer, other than it wasn't the way he felt about Kyrie. He loved her, but it was more of a protective relationship. He felt like he had to protect her from getting hurt, it wasn't about passion with her. With Dante it seemed both, so maybe that's what real love was.

He sighed as he started to wash his hair. He didn't want to figure out the logistics. He needed to reign in his hormones and wait it out for a little while.

He lightly smirked, his plan wasn't very nice, or fast but he would find out just how interested Dante was.

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Vixen grunted as she pushed herself onto her hands and knees, spitting blood out of her mouth, a gold glow shining from her chest. She was laying in a puddle of crimson that was slowly crawling towards the drain in the floor to mingle with another bloody trail coming from the other side of the room where Canis was laying.

"Canis you fool." she grumbled, producing another gold colored orb from her pocket as she crawled over to him. She rolled the wolf demon onto his back and shoved the orb into the single hole in his forehead. As soon as the orb hit his blood it started to glow like the rays of the sun. The bullet was pushed out of Canis's brain, dropping to the floor with a soft patter.

The male demon groaned as he came to. "Vixie?"

"Things didn't go quite according to plan A." she stated.

"Well, at least we learned what the son of Sparda is actually capable of."

"And that will help with plan B, but why in the hell did you let him shoot you?" the female grumbled.

"Had to make it seem convincing so he wouldn't destroy your body." he lightly winked.

"Always looking out for me. Right then. Let's get out of this place and regroup."

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Well looks like Vixen and Canis didn't get taken down by a few bullets! But what are they planning? I guess you'll just have to keep reading and find out! :3 Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth April 25, 2010


	12. Chapter 12 Office Games

Tick Tock CHAPTER 12

Shiya64: Thankies for the Dante plush! *huggles* What's that? *listens to plush* I think he needs a friend. *pulls out Nero plush* Yay! So happy :3 *ahem* anyway-! Yes, Vixen and Canis are alive ;3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies and Nero plush*

Pushka: Yes, Dante and Nero are adorable especially in bed :3 I really like to write the dialogue between these two just because it's so fun XD About Dante feeling Nero up in his sleep…I have to say, I wouldn't put it past him either XD but he is a sweet person underneath it all. I have some more plans for my two demons :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Ayer Gootarest: I wonder when Dante is going to realize that Nero gets off on having his devil bringer touched too XD I'm glad that you think I keep them in character, that's always important to me. I understand what you mean by Canis and Vixen they weren't meant to be killed off so fast…and then I started writing and realized that they weren't going to run away and Dante wasn't going to leave the place without killing them. So I decided I still needed them and they had to come back XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: You'll see what's going to happen with Vixen and Canis soon enough :D Dante and Nero won't be able to resist each other for long :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Britt601: Sorry you have to rewrite your Soc paper, hope I'm not distracting you too much! XD I'm glad you like it though :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

I have to do some studying tomorrow so I'm going to update a little early. :3

Thank you LawlietsDarkAngel for reading this chapter over for me and making sure that it would make sense XD I do not own Devil May Cry! Enjoy!

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Two weeks…it had been two weeks since Nero had gotten hurt and Dante thought he was going to go insane! It was like the kid was trying to do as many sexy things as he could think of, like sitting or laying on the pool table, wandering around the shop with only his jeans on, or dripping wet with a towel around his waist and flirting shamelessly with the older half-devil. But whenever the man in red tried to get closer all he'd get was a taste of those sweet lips and then he'd be gone.

Dante groaned as he sat in his desk chair and rubbed his hands over his face. He had to admit however…whatever Nero was playing at, it was working. The older slayer had never been this intrigued by anyone. And this punk kid seemed to have him-the great Dante, son of Sparda, hook, line and sinker.

"I always have had rotten luck with women," he lightly chuckled to himself. "But what am I getting myself into now?"

* * *

The kid felt adrenaline coursing through his veins as he finished off the last Wrath with a few bullets courtesy of Blue Rose. The bomb exploded and he lightly smiled. He was feeling great today! Just two weeks after he had the tar beat out of him and he was on the top of his game. He'd been down and out for a day or so for his wrist to heal fully but after making sure that Blue Rose's recoil wasn't going to snap his bones again he was out the door.

Nero scoped the area just to be sure it was clear before heading out to grab his paycheck. He'd gotten used to the procedure for missions. It was his way of life now and he couldn't believe that he'd only been staying with Dante for two months.

The devil hunter got onto Dante's motorcycle. This mission had taken him out of town so he'd borrowed it. Usually he'd have gone out with Dante, but the older slayer had been asleep when he'd gotten the call, and getting him out of bed before noon took the jaws of life.

He hummed as the bike purred to life under him and he kicked off heading back towards the shop.

He'd been holding off Dante and it hadn't been hard, surprisingly. While they kissed and touched, as soon as Nero backed off the older hunter stopped, even though Nero noticed that there was usually a spark of disappointment in his eyes. Dante had met his test perfectly. The older male was obviously interested and was being patient enough to prove to Nero that he really did care. Whatever happened to them wouldn't be a one night stand.

At least he was hoping so, he didn't know how much longer he could keep from pouncing on the hunter. Really, he didn't want to hold back anymore. The young slayer smirked to himself and hit the throttle. He couldn't wait to get home.

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Dante looked up from his desk when he heard his motorcycle pull up to the shop. He frowned listening to the kid's footsteps come up the stairs and then looked back at his work, figuring out the bills for the month.

Nero stepped through the double doors and walked up to the desk, dropping the check he'd received down on the papers the older slayer was working on. The older male's blue hue's slid over to glance at the amount so he could figure it into the calculations, stopping when he felt Nero lightly grab his chin, tilting his face up, the kid's only inches from him. Nero's human hand rested flat against the wood as he leaned over the desktop, his blue eyes were sparkling with hunger and a playful excitement.

"What's up kid?" he lightly smirked.

"You know I hate it when you call me that." he stated, brushing his thumb lightly over the older male's bottom lip. Dante's tongue flicked out to taste it and Nero pulled his hand back, standing up straight and turning so he was half-facing the door.

Dante slid his chair back noisily and stood up walking around the desk until he was face to face with his slightly younger counterpart.

"You really should stop teasing me." he whispered. Nero turned slightly as the older teen moved, pinning the younger half-devil between Dante and the desk.

He lightly smirked. "What are you going to do about it?" he challenged. As soon as the question left his lips he felt Dante's body mesh against his own, pushing him until he was on his back on the oak surface the older slayer between his legs.

"Oh I'll show you what I'm going to do." he growled with a smirk, pinning Nero's hip with one hand and grinding against him. The younger male gasped and softly groaned in pleasure before grabbing the collar of Dante's crimson jacket and yanking him down to kiss him fiercely.

Nero jerked back after a moment, lightly hitting his head on the desk when the nearby phone gave a shrill wail of complaint.

He sighed irritably. "Damn it."

"Ignore it." Dante grumbled.

And as tempting as it sounded…"How far are we behind in the bills?"

The older male rolled his eyes, pushing himself off the other platinum haired teen to glare angrily at the phone as if it was the source of his problems…which it was. He picked it up anyway.

"Devil May Cry." he answered. The younger male stayed where he was, hoping that it would be a crank call but as soon as Dante started taking the details from the client Nero got off the desk and straightened up his clothes.

After another minute Dante hung up.

"What is it?"

"Big job."

The younger lightly smirked at this. "Big as in a lot of demon killing, or big as in a big paycheck?"

"Both."

"Great. What is it?" the younger slayer wondered, as he checked over Red Queen and Blue Rose, making sure they were in prime condition from his last fight.

"Sounds like a nest," Dante answered, pulling Agni and Rudra out of the wall and placing them on his hips. The two swords were silently ecstatic.

"Nothing like a good raid. What are we taking to get there?"

"Motorcycle, not too far away."

"Okay, let's clear this thing out, get paid and then I guess we'll see from there." he said, giving a sexy smirk as he headed out the door. Dante blinked before grinning as well. He grabbed Rebellion and his prized guns before running out after the kid.

* * *

Oh SO close XD Sorry everybody, I'm sure you're probably mad at me for getting so close to some steamy stuff and then the phone has to ring. XD Leave me a review! Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth April 28, 2010


	13. Chapter 13 Pack Mentality

Tick Tock CHAPTER 13

Noboru: It was so very close :3 I had to drag it out a little longer. Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: I am a tease :3 but remember that just makes it so much better when it actually happens. XD Nero just seemed seductive to me in the last chapter, and Dante definitely seems desperate to get into Nero's pants XD As for the mission you will see soon enough! Thanks for the review!

furesesse1: I know, just makes you really hate that phone XD but duty calls and the boys must take the mission or else the shop might get repossessed XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Pushka: Nero definitely has things under control XD The phone is the most evil creature in Dante's life. Even more so than the demons some days XD Motorcycles are always fun especially with both the boys on the same one ;) You'll see what happens soon! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Shiya64: Yes! Nero plush will keep your Dante plush distracted…XD I'm glad that you're looking forward to the chapters, it always makes me happy to know that other people get excited when I update XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies* (oh, and if you're Dante plush gives you more trouble than your Nero can handle just get a Lady one, that should clear things up XDD)

Ellocin: Glad you liked the small amount of DxN that has shown up thus far. Last chapter wan't exactly suppose to be a cliffhanger, this one is though ;3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Blue-Moons169: Phones always interrupt when good things are about to start happening. XD Did you read Rebellion and Blue Rose Productions? That fucking phone always interrupted things XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Yoshi333: I think there's about 4 chapters before most of this is explained so about 2 more weeks if I stay on schedule :3 Hope you can hold out until then. Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Thank you LawlietsDarkAngel for betaing for me again! Much appreciated! I do not own DMC and make no money from writing this! Enjoy!

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Dante never thought he'd be sitting bitch on his own bike, let alone enjoying it. Though he figured it was probably just because Nero was driving and that allowed him the freedom to do all sorts of things while the other male couldn't stop him. At least not while they were traveling down an abandoned street; Nero had been pretty firm about public displays of affection.

Currently the older male's arms were twined around Nero's midsection as he lightly nibbled and kissed the back of his neck. His efforts were rewarded when goose bumps rose on the younger male's skin and he lightly shuttered. When Dante nipped hard enough to draw blood however the bike swerved as Nero gasped.

"Okay you pervert, knock it off. You're going to make me crash!" he chuckled.

"That's okay. We're here anyway." the older male stated, pointing to an outcropping of rock. Nero pulled the bike to a stop and cut the engine, looking over at his right arm which was glowing like crazy.

"There are definitely a lot of demons here." he mumbled, as Dante got off the motorcycle and adjusted his weapons.

"Yeah, looks like it, that glow stick of yours is bright enough to direct a space shuttle." he teased.

Nero rolled his eyes as he got Red Queen off the back of the bike. "You think we should call Lady?"

"Nah kid, I'll look out for ya."

Nero's eyes rolled again, and he thought that _he _was cocky. "Well then if you're so confident, what should we do next? I'm thinking that it's a bad idea to head into the big, bad wolf's lair this time."

Dante rubbed his chin thoughtfully, before smirking to himself and approaching the hole in the rock.

"What are you-?"

The older slayer held his hand out, saying he had it under control, then he cupped his hands in front of his mouth.

"Yo, come on out, we came all the way out here to find you and I'm getting bored!" he called.

"Well then, hate to keep you waiting."

Dante's lips curved into a smirk as he saw Canis climb out of the cave. "I guess one bullet didn't do it," he retrieved his guns and held them horizontally Ebony's barrel over Ivory. "Let's see if a few more do the trick."

Nero noticed eyes started glowing from the trees. He placed his hand on Red Queen and started to rev the engine. "Dante…" he warned.

"Hmm, I guess two on two wasn't quite fair."

"Don't you know that wolves travel in packs?" Canis stated with a grin, holding his hand out. Vixen took it and stepped out as well.

"Bullets didn't kill you either. Guess I'll have to try something else, but not just yet. Duck kid."

Nero dropped to a crouch as Dante started firing his weapons, turning as he did so, and stopping as soon as he saw a target, long enough to leave a few bullets in their chest before moving onto the next.

The wolf demons started charging out of the trees, lunging towards the two half-devils. Nero waited for the bullets to stop whizzing over his head before pulling out his blade and jumping forward to meet the opposition. He pulled on the throttle near his hand, causing flames to explode and burning the wolves that were close to him.

Dante quickly holstered his twin revolvers and retrieved the two swords from his hips. A gust of wind whipped around the blue sword in his left hand and his right hand sword burst into flame. He ran forward and started slicing, Agni and Rudra's powers helping to weaken his opponents.

Nero growled softly to himself as claws ripped into his right hip, the pain caused him to whirl around and smack the demon in the face with a roundhouse kick. It knocked him down, but didn't seem to help much, looking around the young slayer realized with mild panic that he was getting surrounded. The young slayer hunched forward slightly until the tip of his blade was touching the ground. His eyes flicked around warily waiting for just the right moment. When the wolves were close enough, Nero quickly spun his body while lifting Red Queen high enough to slice right into the soft flesh of their abdomens. A few were lucky enough to get back leaving them only bleeding, those not light on their feet had their organs spilling out onto the ground.

Dante whooped loudly as he attacked with all he had. He sliced, kicked and blew away the demons. He crossed Agni and Rudra across his body as a wolf charged him. He pulled the blades back in a scissor-type motion, decapitating the demon, at the same time his opponent's claws punctured his stomach and drove up behind his ribs. The demon's body fell backwards removing his claws, but the damage was done and blood gushed out of the wound. The half-devil fell to his knees.

Vixen laughed, which drew Nero's attention to the downed slayer. "Dante!" he gasped, he saw that Vixen was cutting through the wolves towards his partner. He had to get there first! He growled as another of the wolves stepped into his path and thrust his sword forward intent on impaling and incinerating the bastard. Unfortunately his blade was grabbed on the unsharpened side before it could meet his target. (1)

He glared up and found yellow eyes smirking down at him. Canis. The younger slayer growled, and clenched his devil bringer. Vixen was getting closer with every second and he had to make a choice. He had tried desperately to keep from using Yamato knowing that it belonged to Dante's brother and the older hunter might flip out if he saw him with it. However this was a dire situation and if he was careful then Dante would be none the wiser anyway.

"Heh, you want a real fight mutt? Well you just found one!" he stated as a blue light exploded from his form, knocking the wolf demons away from him. Canis flew furthest and onto his back staring up at the thoroughly pissed off half-devil. A ghostly blue figure hovered over the teen's shoulders, his eyes had changed from tranquil blue to a blood red, and Yamato was clenched tightly in his right hand, Red Queen in the other. "Come on puppy." he whispered, his voice mimicked by the cold one belonging to his trigger.

* * *

(1) Red Queen is a single edged blade as in comparison to say Rebellion which is a double edged blade. So Red Queen is only sharp on one side.

Okay, so kind of a cliffhanger ending right? Dante is in peril, Nero might get into a sticky situation if Dante realizes he has Yamato and Canis and Vixen have a ton of backup. Not seeming too good for the two hunters right?

Oh yeah, and in a few chapters this is going to be kicked up to M, so if you don't have me on your author alert or this story on an alert and you can't find it in T anymore, make sure to look under M. :3 Leave me a review! Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth May 2, 2010


	14. Chapter 14 Breathless

Tick Tock CHAPTER 14

furesesse1: thanks for the compliment on my fight scenes, recently I write them, don't think there's enough action, or suspense or it ended too quickly and I write it over XD actually that's what happened with this chapter! So I hope you continue to enjoy the story! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: Here's another action-packed episode! I hope it's a win! Glad I can keep you on the edge of your seat ;) Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Noboru: *gasp* !! I know! Nero has to save Dante! I hope they're both okay! XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Puffy1505: I'm sure that Nero and Dante will survive XD they have a knack for that! Thanks for the compliment on my fight scenes, I try very hard. :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Pushka: Yeah, Dante riding bitch was funny I think just because I've never seen it in any other fic…interesting huh? XD I'm glad you enjoyed the fight, mostly the two are just fighting for their lives-though Dante is a bit more flippant about it. XD Keep reading to see what I have in store for the boys-but thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Blue-Moons169: Sorry about the cliffy XD I do that quite a bit actually. I'm glad you like the way I write my fight scenes, they take a lot of time and energy :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Shiya64: Poor Dante plush is so outnumbered by Nero, Lady and Vergil-he'll never get to have any fun! XD Thanks for the Verge plush. I've been playing DMC 3 a lot lately, going through Vergil's missions and I have realized that he's a BEAST! XD but I'm still kind of scared of him . XD Anyway, Nero is definitely out for blood-he doesn't want anything to happen to Dante-and he REALLY doesn't want Dante to see Yamato! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Ellocin: I will be changing this to M when I upload the next chapter ;3 *hugs* Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

lemonlimeditties: review to ch. 8: cheesy? That Dante arrives just in time to save the day? :3 I suppose it is rather predictable. Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Ch. 13: yep they're all badasses XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Yoshi333: I'm always looking for plot :3 Put the boys in situations that they haven't been in and such. :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Mimi-ride-nationwide: Yep, Nero has Yamato, you'll see how Dante reacts a little later. :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers! I really love your feedback :3 Also thanks to all of you who just read this I appreciate that you take the time to read anyway. Thank you lawlietsDarkAngel for being so patient and betaing for me. :3 I do not own Devil May Cry and make no money from writing this! Enjoy!

* * *

_A ghostly blue figure hovered over the teen's shoulders, his eyes had changed from tranquil blue to a blood red, and Yamato was clenched tightly in his right hand, Red Queen in the other. "Come on puppy." he whispered, his voice mimicked by the cold one belonging to his trigger._

"Yamato? The accursed-" Canis whispered, cut off as he rolled out of the way of a slash from the powerful katana. Nero didn't waste his time going after the alpha wolf but sprinted past him drawing a few more slices in the air with Yamato. The cuts took on an energy of their own and continued forward, one of them catching Vixen in the back as she approached Dante from behind, who was still kneeling on the ground.

The older slayer struggled to make his lungs function as he watched the demons start to close in around him, usually he would smirk and give some smart-ass remark but at the moment he didn't have the air to do so. The claws had sliced through his diaphragm leaving his lungs useless. He heard the cry behind him as Vixen was attacked. He felt something cold and metallic wrap from one ear to the other. The hook of Vixen's blade curled around his throat.

"I'll kill you yet." she hissed.

Unable to reply, he ignored his injury and drew Ivory, putting it over his shoulder, the barrel pressing into the fox demon's stomach. He fired. She growled as she slumped forward slightly and tried to jerk her blade back and slice Dante's head off.

"Stay down!" Nero warned, before twisting his body to throw a powerful swipe with Yamato. This one continued _through_ Vixen, slicing her in half before flying over the older slayer's head and hitting some of the other demons.

Dante's eyes widened as he watched. _'Vergil.'_ he thought, knowing that he'd seen that move only once and only by his brother.

Vixen's sword started to bite into his neck as the top half of her body slid off. The older hunter quickly pushed it away from him so it only left a nick in the left side of his throat.

Nero swiftly hid the katana before Dante could turn and see where the attack had come from. Then he felt another person's body weight tackle him from behind. He slammed the ground roughly before flipping over throwing Canis off him as hard as he could into the nearest tree, winding and dazing him. The younger hunter scrambled back to his feet, before running over and detriggering. He kneeled next to the older male who was still gasping for breath.

"Can you breathe!?" he demanded hurriedly, there were still demons around and none were quite as pissed as Canis who was getting his own breath back and starting toward the two.

Dante shook his head 'no.'

Nero glanced over to the charging wolf. He had a minute. He put Red Queen on his back, before grabbing Dante's shoulder with his devil bringer, closing his human hand over the older male's nose and sealing their lips together. It wasn't exactly a kiss in a romantic sense, more like a kiss of life as Nero breathed some air into Dante's lungs, forcing the organs to expand and allowing the oxygen to seep into his blood.

He pulled away after a moment and released him. "Devil trigger quick!" he commanded as he grabbed Blue Rose from her holster and started firing at Canis who was just a few feet from them.

Dante rolled to his feet getting away from Nero before activating his devil trigger so that the explosion wouldn't hurt the kid. As soon as he transformed the armor healed over the wound and he felt his insides quickly mending. He swiped his swords off the ground and charged headfirst into Canis's path. He blocked the demon's swipes with his blades and set to work trying to kill him.

Nero figured the older male had everything under control and turned his attention to the three remaining of the pack. He swiped his nose with his devil bringer as he holstered his revolver in exchange for the hilt of his sword. He smirked as they looked at him warily, before revving his blade and reaching out to snatch one of them with his demonic arm.

Dante blocked another of the alpha demon's attacks and pushed back with Agni, making Canis stagger backwards, he was left vulnerable and the son of Sparda took the opening. Rudra was plunged straight through the demon's middle and into the ground, pinning him there.

"Curse…you, Son…of Sparda." he gasped, scrabbling to push the blade out of his body with his claws.

"Yeah. I get that a lot," he replied, holding Rudra in place. "You were out here to seal your rep, huh?"

"Why do you ask when you know what I was doing?" he breathed.

Dante frowned, and lightly sighed. He hated demons like this. They didn't really deserve their deaths but there was nothing he could do, they'd just keep coming after him. Canis and Vixen had been out to kill him to validate their own reputations. By killing the legendary son of Sparda, they would have made themselves untouchable. What wolf demons wanted most of all was pups and that's why they were fighting. If they were invincible then their children would be safe from any other demon attack.

The slayer said nothing as he pulled Rudra out of the wolf demon and drove Agni through his chest instead, incinerating his body. The wolf alpha had accepted it by then. Vixen was definitely dead this time and he no longer had a reason to fight.

Nero had managed to kill one of the minor wolf demons when the other two noticed their leader had gone down. The younger hunter went to attack them, but they turned tail and ran.

"What the hell…?"

"Their alphas are dead, no reason to stick around any longer and get massacred." Dante explained, securing his blades.

"Should we go after them?" he wondered, folding his arms.

"…Nah," he lightly smirked. "Usually these family oriented demons don't bother me too much, and I think those two have learned their lesson."

Nero turned to face the older male, looking at his stomach. "Well, that seemed to heal up quick."

"Yep, just a little cut, oh and thanks for keeping me from suffocating out there." he grinned.

Nero smirked. "No problem." he answered, taking the two steps separating them and kissing the older man hard. Dante's arms wrapped around him pulling him flush against his body.

The moment was blown yet again as a loud screech pierced the air. Each of the hunters grabbed their nearest firearm and held it out a huge black owl with red eyes stared back. Nero's own eyes widened as he recognized the demon who'd transported him to this time. What was it doing there? Was it going to send him back?

He decided that he didn't care and shot towards the bird. The demon screeched again and flew off.

"Relax kid, it's just a bird." Dante chuckled, holstering Ivory.

"Yeah…just surpri-mm," Nero melted into the second kiss, the older male nibbling lightly on his bottom lip.

"Let's get out of here, yeah?" he whispered as he pulled back.

Nero smirked. "Yeah."

* * *

Sorry if this chapter didn't seem quite right. I know that Vixen and Canis died pretty quickly, but I tried to give the explanation for that. If Vixen had not died when she did, Dante would have been decapitated and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have survived that and after Vixen was dead Canis's only reason for fighting is revenge, which he doesn't see as being very useful anyway.

Okay, next chapter will move this story up to M territory. And I have a little incentive for you guys ;3 I know I've been teasing you with this forever, so if I get 10 reviews, as soon as I get them I will update. If I don't, I'll just update on Sunday like I usually do.

Exams are almost over, and summer is almost here for me! Hope you guys are good too. Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth May 6, 2010


	15. Chapter 15 Away From Prying Eyes

Tick Tock CHAPTER 15

You guys hit the 10 reviews marker! So here's the next chapter early just like I promised!

SirenaLoreley: I'm glad you liked the last chapter so much! And yeah, I felt bad for Canis and Vixen too-they really did just want a family that wouldn't be murdered by demons! The owl IS back, you'll see why soon enough and this is the M-rated chapter! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Pushka: XD I could see that too! *Dante turns around* *Nero: whistles and holds Yamato behind his back like 'what are you talking about?'* XD Great mental image. I'm glad I had you worrying about Dante-that's all part of the suspense factor-never know what I'm gonna do! XD I'm really happy that the pacing was alright. I was worried about it which was what made me go back and rework the chapter a bit. Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Diabla616: I'm glad you enjoy the story ;3 Here's the next chapter! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

JustineAme: (This seemed like a review so I counted it as one) I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter so much :3 I think writing fights seems strange sometimes and it's hard to get across what I mean, but you practice and get better! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Noboru: Yes, go boys, go! :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Shiya64: Well I figured it made sense that Dante would recognize one of his brother's signature moves. I don't think there's any other sword in DMC that can carry through with energy like that. Vergil during this fic is a slave of Mundus so he won't be appearing unfortunately-I don't know if I could write him very well anyway. (Oh and he's afraid of Sheepy!? XD) Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

furesesse1: Here's the update! Thanks for reviewing! :3 *gives cookies*

Ayer Gootarest: I know, Canis and Vixen are kind of a sad story, they were after the right things, just the wrong way to get them. Thanks for the review! *gives chocolate cookies with strawberry frosting* (btw that sounds like an AWESOME cookie)

Ellocin: I always like to give my reviewers and extra special thanks! You guys give me the motivation to keep going on a story. I thought the kiss of life was a cool twist ;3 And actually your review made 9! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Solaris: I'm glad you think I keep the two in character I've been writing them for over a year now so I tend to have an idea of how I think they'll respond to things :3 I will take a look at your story if I get the chance. Summer is coming up and I don't spend as much time on the computer :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

WARNING: This chapter contains graphic sexual behavior between two MEN if you don't like it or are under 18, steer clear! Thanks LawlietsDarkAngel for betaing for me again! Here's the chapter you guys have been waiting for! Enjoy! ;3

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Nero gripped the handles of the motorcycle tightly, his breath hitching as Dante's hands splayed across his parted thighs sliding lightly from his knees and coming tantalizingly close to his groin before giving a firm squeeze and sliding away again.

"Dante…" he groaned softly biting his lip.

The older male grinned, lightly licking behind his ear. "Yeah babe?"

"Shit." he hissed his hand twisting on the throttle.

Dante's hands paused near his crotch again. "Hey kid, you're speeding."

Nero loosened his grip. "Stop teasing me."

"Payback is a bitch kid, you've been teasing me for the last two weeks."

The younger slayer screeched up to the shop, turning off the bike before whirling around and tackling Dante. The older male caught himself and chuckled at his partner's enthusiasm. He threw Nero over his shoulder and walked into the shop.

After they were inside Nero started to struggle. Dante set him onto his feet and pressed him against the wall, leaving an inch of space between their lips.

"You all warmed up now?" he smirked.

Nero jerked Red Queen off his back and placed it against the wall, before tangling his bringer in Dante's platinum lock, pulling his partner's lips even closer, so they were just barely brushing. "Warm? I'm burning up, you saw to that yourself."

The older male chuckled. "I guess I did." he pulled off Agni and Rudra and slid them across the floor. He then grabbed Nero's wrist and pulled it free of his hair, using it to guide him upstairs. The younger male tagged along, wondering why Dante was taking the time to actually switch rooms, unaware that Agni and Rudra would be able to hear and see them if they stayed downstairs.

Once away from prying eyes Nero was thrown on his back on the bed, the older male pouncing on him and pinning his wrists by his head, kissing him fiercely. The younger slayer was amazed that he didn't mind the rough treatment, in fact it might have been turning him on more.

He battled with Dante in their tongue war and slowly lifted his knee to rub against the erection that was straining against the older teen's leather pants, eliciting a moan. Dante released his wrists in favor of unzipping Nero's hoodie and shoving it off before ripping open the teen's shirt. Nero gasped, feeling his blood starting to boil with lust.

He sat up, sliding off his destroyed shirt and pulled Dante's crimson coat off with Ebony and Ivory's holsters. He shoved them over the edge of the bed before unfastening the older male's pants and shoving them over his hips. Dante pushed him back down by placing one hand on his shoulder the other he had up near his own mouth, as he peeled his fingerless gloves off with his teeth, leaving only his amulet around his neck.

He got both gloves off and leaned down to bite and lick at the kid's exposed throat. Nero panted, his devil bringer burying itself in Dante's hair. His left hand reaching down to unbutton his own pants, releasing his throbbing organ from the confines of the denim.

Dante pulled back and helped the younger male kick off his pants. Then he reached up to his neck and took off the amulet to place on the bedside table before producing a tube of lube from the drawer.

"How long have you had that?" Nero chuckled

"About a week. So, who goes first?" he asked, holding up the tube.

"You know what you're doing?"

"Me? Of course." he smirked.

At this point Nero was beyond caring. "Then you top first, but remember this isn't an every time deal."

"Never expected it to be." he grinned, kissing the younger teen.

Nero parted his legs and the older half-devil resituated himself between them as he popped open the top of the tube and smeared the slick gel over a few of his fingers. The younger devil took a deep breath, running both his hands down his taunt chest and abs, trying to relax.

Dante pressed his first finger past the tight ring of muscle, causing Nero to growl softly in protest. At least until the older male's other hand wrapped around his manhood and started to stroke slowly. Once his partner was suitably distracted he pressed in the second digit and started stretching and probing experimentally. Nero felt the slight discomfort but ignored it in favor of the more pleasurable sensation, at least until the fingers inside him brushed something that made a lightning bolt of bliss zing through him.

"D-Dante!" he gasped. "Hit that again."

The older male curled his fingers in the same way, and Nero moaned, arching his hips and screwing his eyes closed. Dante's eyes devoured the sight, and he licked his lips, he couldn't wait any longer.

He removed his fingers and Nero watched with half-lidded eyes as he lubed his member. As good as that feeling was, he was a little nervous. Fingers were one thing but the older half-devil was a _lot_ bigger than a couple of fingers. He couldn't really back out now though, he wouldn't.

"You ready?" he whispered as he positioned himself at the younger teen's entrance.

"Yeah…I'm good." he panted, his hands reaching up to grab Dante's shoulders.

The older half-devil didn't need further encouragement and started pushing forward, a soft growl of pleasure rumbling in his throat as he felt Nero's tight heat wrap around him. The younger male however bit his lip to keep from whimpering, the claws of his devil bringer puncturing Dante's shoulder blade. The older devil saw the look of pain and reached down between them to gently stroke the younger male's neglected organ. It helped, but wasn't nearly enough to get away from the pain.

"Just, hold on, okay Nero?" he mumbled.

The younger teen nodded as Dante slowly adjusted his angle, giving a few shallow thrusts until he found it. Nero felt the spark of pleasure and gasped.

"There-do that again."

Dante rolled his hips forward and hit the same place, the younger hunter's breath caught and his back arched slightly. Encouraged, he repeated the motion at the same angle.

"Dante-harder." he growled.

With that the older half-devil picked up a slow powerful rhythm, stroking Nero in time. The younger moaned with every thrust, his legs wrapping around Dante's hips.

"Shit…ah!…Dante-faster, please." he hissed.

"Well, since you said please." he whispered in his ear, before licking the shell. Nero shuttered, groaning when Dante quickly picked up his pace, his thick organ pounding in and out and hitting the same spot each time with deadly accuracy. Nero's body responded to the pleasure as he arched his back and hips, wanting more, and receiving it. Dante's name poured past his lips and his devil bringer scratched rivers of crimson into the older male's back, filling their noses with the heady aroma.

Dante seemed determined to leave just as many marks on his lover's skin, biting and licking every inch of exposed skin on his neck and shoulders.

Nero felt the fire coiling in his belly, he knew he wasn't going to last much longer.

"Dante-I-ah!" he tried.

"Come for me Nero." he growled, nipping his shoulder once again to draw out blood.

The younger devil screamed his name as he came, strands of pearly fluid coating their stomachs. Dante felt the muscles around his weeping member tighten and spasm pulling him to the brink of his own orgasm.

"Nero!" he growled, filling the younger male to the brim with his hot seed.

After riding out their orgasms, they laid next to each other panting softly. Dante's arm wrapped around the younger teen and pulled him close, they were both sticky with cum, but neither seemed to care at the moment.

Nero moved close and cupped the older teen's cheek with his bringer before kissing him tenderly. "I love you Dante." he whispered, the light from his right hand the only thing illuminating the room. It was glowing a bright blue.

The older male smiled and turned his head, kissing the palm of his devil arm. "I love ya too kid, but do me a favor. Don't hurt me with it, okay?" he said softly, there was no joking in his tone. He brushed the hair out of Nero's face, before closing his eyes.

Nero draped his arm over Dante's ribs as he frowned. Was he going to hurt Dante? He didn't want to, but if he was going to be sent back to the future then he most definitely was. If he was sent to the future…then Dante would have to live his whole life without him. What had he done?

There was only one thing to do. If he ever saw that bird demon again he'd just have to kill it. He would _not _hurt the older slayer.

With those thoughts on his mind, the teen drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Okay, I've spent the entire morning packing and lifting REALLY heavy objects, so it would just make my day if you left me a review! *puppy eyes* Anyway, hope you guys liked the chapter! ;3 Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth May 7, 2010


	16. Chapter 16 Hourglass

Tick Tock CHAPTER 16

Oh my goodness I got so many reviews!

Puffy1505: *hands tissue for bloody nose* I'm glad you liked the chapter :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Lemonlimeditties: Thanks for the compliment and review! *gives cookies*

Furesesse1: XD fanfuckingtastic! I like that word XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Noboru: *hands tissue for nosebleed* Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Blue-Moons169: I'm glad it was worth the wait, I really wanted this story to seem realistic so I took a lot of time to build their relationship :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Yoshi333: Ha! I do have 100 reviews XD I didn't look before actually. I'm very glad you like this story! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Shiya64: I'm happy it was worth the wait I know it seemed like forever! XD Yay for millions of hugs! As for writing Vergil, I have a few OC's (when I'm not writing fan fiction) that are pretty stoic and twisted I guess I'm just not sure what I would do with Vergil XD Anyway, thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Pushka: It is pretty amazing that with all Dante's teasing Nero didn't crash and maim them horribly XD About Agni and Rudra…yeah the way Nero was yelling it was pretty pointless to get away from them XD The end of the chapter is somewhat sad because Nero is having doubts after seeing that owl again, you'll see what happens ;3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: The last chapter was pretty steamy XD and the thoughts at the end probably should worry you, at least a little I don't want to give away what's going to happen though! :3 Gotta keep you on the edge of your seat XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Solaris: Wow, that scene was the hottest you've ever read? Thanks! :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Ellocin: Oh noes! Don't die from the nosebleed! You'll never find out what happens if you do! Yeah, Nero was a bit depressing at the end, but it's important to him not to hurt Dante. As for all the heavy lifting I did moving out-I don't think I pulled anything, but my arms were sore for like three or four days afterwards XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

AvalonParadise: Puppy eyes work every time! ;) XD just messing. As for if Nero is going to go back to his time period or not, you'll just have to keep reading and see! Here's the update-don't sic Godzilla on me! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

WolfsFang13: review ch. 1: Yeah, I thought the concept was cool because I wanted to do something that was related to DMC3 Dante. I've liked the way this has come out so far! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Ch. 15: Dante's a big boy he'll be fine XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Berkie88: Vergil in this time frame would still be in hell and probably enslaved by Mundus, and as for why Dante didn't ask, he sort of got distracted and forgot about it :/ he has a somewhat short attention span XD Okay, as for the 'whole life' thing, I think I said that while I was conveying Nero's thoughts, so I know it's only so many years but Nero is exaggerating. I'm pretty sure timeline wise it goes 3, then 20 years later it's 1 and then maybe 10 years later it's 4? So it's a pretty sizable chunk of time. I'm not positive on the time between 1 and 4 but I do know for sure that 3 is 20 years before the first DMC because Trish says something along the lines of "You're the man who lost a mother and a brother to evil twenty years ago" or something-ANYhow time travel fics are difficult, but I really wanted to try to tackle this and I think it will turn out pretty well ;3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Okay-that was 15 reviews-I think! Thank you guys so much for your support! Thanks to LawlietsDarkAngel for betaing for me. I do not own Devil May Cry and without further ado I give you chapter 16!

* * *

Nero awoke warm in Dante's embrace. Their scents mingled in the air and light was pouring through the openings in the blinds. The younger hunter shifted, and felt a dull pain shoot through his lower half, causing him to bite his lip and wince.

"Little sore kid?"

"Just a little," he chuckled hoarsely. "Guess my voice is a little rough too."

"After all the screaming you did last night I'm surprised you have a voice at all." Dante grinned, lightly kissing his lover's forehead.

Nero glared a little, but he was blushing.

"Come on kid, we should go get cleaned up." the older male suggested as he sat up and stretched

The younger hunter lightly rolled his eyes, but pulled the blankets off of him and stood up. It wasn't the most pleasant sensation, but it was manageable.

Dante climbed out of bed after him, arms snaking around his waist, his lips brushing the lingering bruises from the night before. Nero relaxed to the touch. There was no way he wanted to give this up without a fight.

He gasped softly as the older male swept him up into his arms, carrying him out of the room with a grin.

"Hey! Put me down! I'm perfectly capable of walking Dante!" he protested, giving a token struggle. He didn't really care if the older male put him down or not, but he had to keep up his image.

Dante did put him down as soon as they reached the bathroom, before walking over to the shower and starting to adjust the taps.

"So, showering together I take it?"

"Faster and more fun," the older male winked. "Besides, it's not like there's anything to hide now, right?"

Nero lightly blushed. "No. I guess not."

"You gonna get all shy on me kid?" he chuckled, finding the correct temperature for the shower and waving the younger man over. Nero rolled his blue orbs but a smirk cracked his face and he walked over, stepping into the shower before grabbing the other man and pulling him inside as well.

The younger slayer sighed contentedly as hot water rushed down his form, washing away the residue from the night before. Dante's arms wrapped around him again and he lightly nibbled the kid's jaw.

"So, any regrets?"

"None whatsoever. I have a clean conscience…Well, other than maybe I wish we could have finished what we were doing on the desk earlier before the phone rang." he said slyly.

Dante laughed. "Wow. No worries, I'm sure we'll get around to that, and before we do I'll remember to unplug the phone."

The younger slayer grinned and stretched his arms above his head letting out a yawn. His eyebrows furrowed however when Dante grabbed his left wrist and pulled it down to eye level to examine it.

"What?" he wondered.

"When did you get this kid? I didn't notice it last night."

Nero pulled his arm free and turned it to look at the tender flesh above the pulsing blue veins of his wrist. Where it should have just been soft skin, there was a small black hourglass tattoo. The top about a quarter empty as more of the sand ran down towards the bottom. He gasped and tilted his hand down trying to get the sand to run the other direction, however it defied gravity and fell up through the glass.

"I don't know what that is." he stated. It was a lie, at least partially. He knew what it meant, when the sand ran out he'd be back in his time…and he couldn't even fight it.

* * *

The two showered faster than either of them would have liked and got dressed. The hourglass was troubling and they had to find out what it meant for sure.

"So, what do we do?" Nero wondered.

"We break out the books," he shrugged. "It looks like it could be a curse."

"You have books here somewhere?" he asked, amazed, as he followed the shirtless hunter down to the office.

"Sure, I mean, it's always good to know more than your enemy."

"Oh my God, does that mean you actually _read _too!" he asked dramatically, snickering.

"Shut up." Dante chuckled, rolling his eyes. He made his way over to the closet and opened it. Nero waited, tilting his head and folding his arms. He'd never seen the books so he figured that they were hidden anyway. The older male pulled away a fake wall in the closet revealing a bookshelf.

"Now all we have to do is figure out where foxes or wolves would be." he muttered.

Nero swallowed and his face paled slightly, he knew it wasn't from those demons, and it wasn't doing him any good if Dante was looking for the wrong thing. He had to tell him the truth. What if he was mad?

"…D-Dante?" he whispered, half-hoping the man hadn't heard him. Of course he did though, and his ice blue eyes flicked over quickly with concern at his lover's tone.

"What's wrong Nero?"

"The mark…it's…it's not from the wolf or the fox…" he looked away, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand.

"Well then what's it from?" he asked, stepping out of the closet and lightly placing his hands on Nero's upper arms. "Come on kid, you can tell me."

The younger male slowly looked up. "There's…a lot to tell." he whispered.

* * *

So Nero is about to come clean about his origins question is will Dante believe him? ;3 Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth May 12, 2010


	17. Chapter 17 Yamato

Tick Tock CHAPTER 17

Noboru: Here's the update! :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Yoshi333: I think I'd be a little miffed too, but Nero didn't think he'd ever be leaving-that was a rude wake up call XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Furesesse1: Only time will tell if Dante and Nero will be able to stay together. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: Time IS starting to run short and Nero is about to explain everything! Hopefully Dante takes it well! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Blue-Moons169: You'll get to see how Dante reacts soon enough! And about the weapons it's funny because I picked Cerberus because it would be the easiest to hide and Agni and Rudra just because I think they're funny XD I actually never use Agni and Rudra, I'm just not very good with them XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Shiya64: Thanks, I like to leave cliffhangers, it makes things interesting ;3 *looks over at Dante plush* OH NOES I just put frozen pizzas in there! *tackles* thanks for reviewing! *tosses cookies to you*

AvalonParadise: 0.0 I don't think I could live with the destruction of Japan on my conscious. I try to keep suspense part of my stories. I read a lot of suspense so I suppose that helps XD Thanks for reviewing *gives cupcake*

Pushka: The scene where they wake up is cute :3 Poor Nero with all his soreness, Dante should really take it easier on him XD A lot of people don't like the thought of Nero going back to his time, you'll see what happens! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Ellocin: Sore arms are a distant memory now :3 one week off school and I'm feeling great! As for the story-hope I didn't freak you out too badly! Stay tuned! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Britt601: Trust me, you'll want to keep reading ;3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Dante32: Here's some more! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Kiokukaiba: I try to make my chapter at least 1,000 words long or so but some are longer and every once in awhile they're shorter. I do try to update pretty often though :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Minnesota Fireball Wolf: Nero definitely doesn't want to go back either as for the rest of your questions you'll have to wait and see! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Whew! Quick thanks to my beta LawlietsDarkAngel and today is my sis's birthday so I really got to update and go! Enjoy!

* * *

_The younger male slowly looked up. "There's…a lot to tell." he whispered._

"Well…Come on then kid, spit it out." Dante coaxed.

Nero turned his face away from him. "There's no way you're going to believe me. It's crazy."

"Listen, ki-Nero…whatever you have to say, I'll listen okay?" he assured.

The younger male glanced back over and sighed. "Okay," now all he had to do was figure out how to begin…

He hesitated before starting with: "Like I told you, I was a demon hunter before I met you. I was out on a mission near my hometown; they'd sent me out there to look into something. When I got there it was that bird, the owl with the red eyes. It must have attacked me or something. I don't remember. Next thing I know I wake up by your front door."

"That's not all that craz-"

"I'm not finished, and I haven't gotten to the crazy part…Thing is…I know you…when you're older. I'm from the future…geeze that sounds corny," he rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I'm not from this time period or if I am, I really am just a kid living in my hometown. The owl sent me back here in time, and it must have been to meet you."

"So…you know me in the future?" he lightly smirked.

"Come on Dante, this is serious."

"Right, but how do I know any of this is true?"

Nero sighed. "I told you, you wouldn't believe it. But I do have something that might convince you. Your brother has a sword, the one Sparda used to seal the demon world from the human world. I find it in my time, you let me keep it."

Dante's eyebrows furrowed. "Yamato?"

"Yeah. I needed it…to save-someone…I tried to give it back to you, but you told me to keep it, that it should stay in the family," His arm started to glow brightly and the older male released him. Yamato appeared in Nero's hand a moment later. "Here it is." he said, looking up at the older man and holding it out.

Dante blinked at it. It was his brother's sword. Though it looked older, worn down. "You used it yesterday." he mumbled.

Nero rubbed his nose. "Yeah, I had to save you. No matter how many times you've been impaled I didn't think you'd survive decapitation." he lightly smiled.

The older man's face broke into a smirk as well. "No, never tested it, but I'd prefer to keep it that way."

"So do you believe me?"

"I'm not sure. Let's see what we can find out about this owl thing." he stated, turning back towards the closet to scan the titles and grab a few books.

"Yeah." Nero agreed, replacing Yamato into his arm.

* * *

It took a few hours of precious time, but they finally located the demon. It was a benign demon of time mastery called Tempus(1).

"Well it definitely fits your description." Dante mumbled, pointing at the page.

"Yeah, but what's this 'benign' bullshit?"

"I think that means that it doesn't hurt people."

Nero scanned over the page. "This thing is supposedly helpful to people. It's charged with guiding people to what they want, or need through very unorthodox methods…usually through time travel…well duh," he rolled his eyes.

"So it sent you here to me…" Dante mumbled. He had been pretty out of it since Temen-ni-gru had gone down and Vergil disappeared. Lady had been there to give him a swift kick in the ass-or bullet to the head-before he got too depressed…but Nero had helped redirect his focus once again. Lady had been a good reminder, but the kid was a constant presence.

"…it says the hourglass appears once the person has found what they're looking for. It gives them twenty-four hours before…Hey, are you listening? I swear you have the attention span of a gnat sometimes."

"Sorry kid, just thinking"

"Well, it says this thing shows up twenty-four hours before the person is sent back to their own time…and no one has ever been able to stop it."

The older male scratched his hand through his hair, he was pretty sure he had it figured out. His future had never exactly been what anyone would call 'bright.' He was a son of Sparda. Demons would come after him forever, his entire family had been taken by them, and he couldn't retire until he was dead, and even then, who knew? He could never have normal relationships, they'd end up getting hurt. Maybe someone higher up had finally decided to throw him a bone, the kid said they didn't meet until he was older, it was something to work for, to look forward to. As if someone was saying: 'You do well, you see the kid again.'

"Then there probably isn't a way to stop it." Dante stated

"…So…that's it? We're not even going to try?" he demanded.

"Calm down," he said, putting his arm over the kid's shoulders. "Were would you suggest we start?"

"Going out and looking for that bird! Finding another book-anything!" Why was Dante taking this so easily? Didn't he realize that Nero was going to be gone for a long time? The kid felt guilty, he just told the man he loved him and now he was just going to disappear for ten or twenty years-didn't he care?

"Kid, Nero," he said, grabbing the younger man's arms and lightly shaking him. "Listen to me!" he faltered when he saw the kid's eyes glistening with moisture. His tone softened. "Listen…this is just meant to happen. Come on…don't cry babe," he lightly smiled, trying to cheer him up as he brushed away the tears that had managed to escape. "It won't be any time at all for you."

"Exactly! Don't you get it! You're the one who's going to have to be here alone!"

"Nah kid. You're the one who doesn't get it," he whispered, he lightly kissed his cheek. "Sure I'm gonna miss you, but that's what's going to keep me motivated. I love demon hunting, but I need a little something else. Bunch of stuff happened in the last year. Anyway I just need to know one thing."

Nero sighed, "Sure thing."

"Where do I meet you?"

The kid lightly smirked. "You'll get a mission, it'll deal with an island really far away from here. That's where you'll find me. Just remember, that I won't know who you are, and we're on opposite sides at first. You'll have to pretend you have no idea who I am."

"Don't worry about that. Now," he took his wrist, the hour glass was more than half empty. "Looks like you have about nine hours left. What do you want to do?" he lightly smirked.

* * *

(1) Tempus means 'time' in Latin.

Don't you love how I worked this out as almost cannon? XD At least I think so anyway. It also could explain why Dante trusts Trish so quickly and follows her to Mallet Island-I mean after he hesitated, seeing as she looked like his mother and she got the chance to explain. I actually put some thought into this…so if there's flaw in my logic…hopefully it's not a giant gaping plot hole ;(

Okay-I know some of you thought Dante was going to be mad-but here's how my reasoning worked-he knew Nero couldn't tell him because he'd think the kid was crazy, secondly nothing seems to phase Dante so I figured writing him where it just rolled off his shoulders would be natural. I hope you guys thought it was okay! Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth May 16, 2010


	18. Chapter 18 Sweetest Goodbye

Tick Tock CHAPTER 18

Pushka: I have heard of the Time Traveler's Wife but I've never seen it and I don't know much about it, so if there are similarities it wasn't on purpose :3 I'm glad you thought that Dante's reaction was believable because I agonized over it a bit XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: I thought the chapter turned out pretty good and Nero will be Dante's shining light of hope! XD I'm really happy that this plot turned out as well as it did XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Solaris: Thanks! Dante brushes everything off like it's nothing. Dante: *gets impaled* "I underestimated you ha ha ha" XD anyway, thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Noboru: Yes, it's very sad! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Furesesse1: I know…bad things always happen to Nero ;_; Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Ayer Gootarest: Actually there's at least two more chapters left! So I hope that's a good thing :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Lemonlimediddies: Glad you like! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Minnesota Fireball Wolf: I liked how the chapter worked out too. This chapter is a very good goodbye I believe :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

AvalonParadise: To be honest I always have happy endings XD I hate angst filled stuff it just makes me think that the author can't write themselves out of the mess they made-no offense to anyone of course! The reunion is just a few chapters away ;3 I worked very hard to make this cannon so I'm glad it worked out as well as I had hoped! I would be flattered if people do anything with this story XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Ellocin: I like to mix in a little humor-especially with these two, you just can't keep Dante down for very long XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Shiya64: I'm glad it worked out to be pretty cannon XD It makes me happy the way it is working out. *waves to all the plushies* Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Yoshi333: Dante did take Nero leaving pretty well…and I agree Dante does act like he knows something throughout DMC4 it's like 0.o what are you not telling me Dante? XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Donnie Darkness: I'm glad you like! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Dantesnero: I'm happy this was a good present! It's been loads of fun to write! :3 Thanks for the thing about 'shuddered' you're right! My bad! ^_^; Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Dante32: yes I made more! Here's more XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Mimi-ride-nationwide: You'll find out what they do this chapter :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Emerald Twin Blade: Hopefully I didn't hurt your heart too badly! This chapter gets kinda sad! Thanks about the fight scenes I work a long time on them :3 Here's the next chapter! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Whew! So many reviews recently! It's nice, but a little tiring! XD Thanks LawlietsDarkAngel for betaing for me again! Enjoy!

* * *

"_Now," Dante took his wrist, the hour glass was more than half empty. "Looks like you have about nine hours left. What do you want to do?" he lightly smirked._

Nero was still frowning, but he sighed softly, closing the book that was resting in his lap and placing it on the table. He blinked when he felt Dante's gloved hand cup his cheek, turning his head so he was looking at the older hunter.

"Come on kid…I've never seen you this down."

"I don't think I've ever been this down," he chuckled ruefully. He placed his devil bringer over the warm hand on his cheek. "Dante…I meant what I said last night…and you asked me not to hurt you with it…I just want you to know that, whatever happens, it was never my intention to hurt you." God he was guilt ridden. (1)

The older male just smiled softly. "I know. Nero, this is out of your hands. It's not something tangible, it's a curse, and even if you managed to kill Tempus I doubt that it would remove that tattoo."

"I guess you're right." he grumbled.

"That I am. So my advice is we stop agonizing over this and have some fun with the time that we have left." he said, sounding more upbeat, it caused Nero to crack a smile.

"All right, what do you have in mind?"

The younger male felt arms twine around him and lips met his hungrily. He returned the gesture, twisting his body to straddle Dante's lap, resting his hands near the older slayer's neck, his fingers brushing the cold, silver chain of his amulet. He broke off after a second.

"You always wear this, I've never asked why before." he mumbled, his human hand lightly touching the red stone.

Dante reached up to cover his hand. "My mother gave it to me." he smiled slightly.

"I suppose that explains why you never take it off." he murmured.

"Almost never." he replied.

Nero felt himself loosening up again in Dante's embrace, quickly returning to kissing and touching. His hands wandered gently over the older teen's chiseled chest as Dante unzipped his hoodie. The older man's fingers danced over Nero's creamy skin as it was exposed to him.

Dante nipped the younger teen's lip drawing forth a few drops of blood that his tongue flicked out to taste. When the need for oxygen arose he pulled back, one hand resting on Nero's hip, the other he brought up to lightly trace over the younger male's face.

"So…" he whispered huskily with a smirk. "This morning you mentioned something about doing it on the desk-without the phone interrupting this time."

Nero felt a shiver course down his spine, getting harder with the thought of it.

"Seems like you like that idea." he grinned slyly.

The younger teen chuckled and lightly blushed. Dante pulled the younger man's legs tightly around his hips and got to his feet, Nero's arms flew around his neck to steady himself, and he was swiftly reminded of a few weeks ago when the two had been stuck this way with spider webs.

He was jostled out of his thoughts however when he was set down on the desk, the older male's body hovering over him. Nero's legs hooked themselves around Dante's waist, grinding their hips together. The older male lightly growled.

"Hold on a sec babe."

Nero's eyebrows furrowed for a moment until he saw Dante lean over and grab the cord for the phone, yanking it out of the wall.

"No interruptions this time." he grinned.

Nero smiled back, hands roving down the older teen's sides before sliding around to the front of his pants and flicking them open with his thumb, sliding them down enough to expose his manhood. He lightly gripped the heated flesh, causing Dante to gasp and growl lowly. The younger man slowly slid his hand over the quickly hardening shaft.

"God, you're such a tease." he panted.

"So, what are you going to do about it?" Nero whispered seductively, repeating his words from the previous day before they'd been interrupted.

Dante seemed to catch on, a sly smirk playing over his features. "Oh…I'll show you what I'm going to do." he stated, unbuttoning and tugging the younger teen's pants off. Nero lifted his hips to help, removing his hand from the front of the older man's pants as he did so.

Once the younger male was naked Dante leaned over him, trailing his tongue from his navel up to his nipple, abusing the nub of flesh with his teeth and tongue once he reached it. Nero moaned softly, reaching out with his devil bringer to grab Dante's left hand. The older man paused to watch as Nero took his hand up to his mouth, grabbing the edge of his glove with his teeth and pulling it off. He spit out the leather in favor of sucking two of Dante's fingers into his mouth.

"Shit, Nero." he whispered, becoming even more aroused as he watched his lover twist his tongue around his fingers coating them with saliva.

The younger male shot Dante a sexy look as he pulled another finger into his mouth, lightly sucking and licking them. After a few more moments of the pleasurable torture Nero released the digits and his partner's wrist. A thin string of saliva connected his lips to the slick appendages for just a moment before snapping as the older man pulled his hand away.

Dante's lips meshed with his own as he pushed two of his fingers into the younger teen. Nero lightly hissed at the intrusion, biting his lover's lip harshly, drawing out blood. Dante growled, angling his fingers until he hit the sweet spot inside the younger male.

Nero hummed pleasantly, his lover's tongue slipping into his mouth. The younger man's right hand moved down, lightly dragging his claws over Dante's aching member, causing him to shutter and lightly moan. The older male pulled away from his lips, his breaths coming in soft pants.

His lip was still lightly bleeding and Nero arched up to lick away the crimson liquid.

"Come on Dante…" he whispered. "I'm not gonna break."

"Whatever you say kid." he murmured with a smirk. He removed his fingers and then pushed into the man below him.

Nero writhed and lightly moaned in pain and pleasure, his left arm reaching over his head to grip the other edge of the desk.

The older male's hands grabbed onto his hips, holding him still as he started to thrust at a merciless pace. Nero cried out loudly when his prostate was hit dead on and Dante continued to angle for it wanting to hear his name pour past those petal soft lips as many times as possible.

Nero curled the fingers of his devil bringer, his claws digging into the oak, as he said his partner's name as many times as he could; after all it could be his last chance to have the older man like this.

"Dante, Dan-te!" he gasped as he felt his lover start stroking him in time with his own powerful thrusts. "Shit! Ah-Dante!"

"Damn-Nero…you're so fucking tight." he growled.

"More-Dante-I'm s-s-Oh! Ahnn-so close!" he gasped.

"Me too, Nero." he moaned.

The sound of his name drove Nero to the brink, coming across their chests, his muscles convulsing and tightening around Dante's organ. The older man hit his peak quickly after, thick strands of his own essence coating the younger half-devil's insides.

The older man rested against Nero's chest, both trying to catch their breath.

"That…was hot." Dante breathed.

Nero lightly chuckled, brushing his right hand through the older man's silvery hair. "You got that right."

* * *

The two cleaned up after their 'session' on the desk and tried to spend the rest of the night like they normally would. They ordered in pizza and watched TV and didn't talk anymore about how long Nero had left.

…While they didn't talk about it, Nero kept sneaking looks at his wrist when Dante wasn't paying attention. He figured he had until about three am.

At one in the morning both devil slayers headed to bed and it was there that the young half-devil found that sleep would not come for him. He lied in Dante's warm embrace feeling surprisingly cold inside. He didn't want to go. He was sure it sounded childish. He wanted to stay here; he wanted to be with Dante. He knew, of course, that he belonged in his own time. He couldn't stay in a place where there would be two of him.

Doubt continued to eat away inside of him. Dante loved him…but would that feeling continue? Time makes the heart grow fonder, but out of sight means out of mind. Which one was true?

He lightly rested his forehead against the older male's chest. 'Please don't forget about me. Please don't let this be a dream.' he thought. He looked down at his wrist again; it was down to the last few grains of sand.

He looked up at the older man again, etching his peaceful, sleeping face in his mind. "I love you Dante." he whispered.

"…love you too…kid." he whispered sleepily. Nero felt a sad smile curl his lips-a loud screech made him nearly jump out of his skin. After hearing the sound however Nero lost consciousness.

Dante didn't hear anything-he never even woke up…

* * *

(1) Remember folks this is the kid that cried and got pissed off every time something happened to Kyrie and was utterly guilt ridden that he couldn't save her.

So sad…anyway, there's at least two chapters left so stay tuned! Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth May 20, 2010


	19. Chapter 19 Unwelcome Homecoming

Tick Tock CHAPTER 19

Pushka: Those two always have a good idea of how to pass the time ;3 And I love that desk too, there's just something about it XD The last part was really sad 3: I'm glad it seems canon, and that you'll think of it while playing the game! That's very flattering! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

AvalonParadise: Yeah, the end was suppose to be pretty sad. Not sure if this chapter will be what you expect, but thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Dante32: yes, poor Nero is very sad. Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Donnie Darkness: Not sure about a sequel, just depends on if I come up with something. Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Emerald Twin Blade: Bad things always happen to the poor kid, we'll see if things work out for him in the end! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: Yes, the chapter was very bitter sweet, sweet to start with that last bitter aftertaste. I'm glad you're enjoying the story! :3 Thanks for reviewing *gives cookies*

Ayer Gootarest: I think if I was Nero I'd freak out too XD Though Nero is actually hoping that Dante can at least live his life without him around, he's expecting that Dante will sleep with other people. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Noboru: I know the end was sad ): Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Shiya64: I'm glad you (and the plushies) liked the chapter! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Minnesota Fireball Wolf: Parting is such sweet sorrow ;) Thanks for reviewing *gives cookies*

RedQueensRebellion: I know, my chapters can seem short, but I find a place to stop and that's just where I want to leave it so hopefully the plot makes up! Thanks for the cookie! *noms* and for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Ellocin: Lots of deep breaths! I swear I'll work it all out! XD The screech was actually suppose to be the owl coming to get Nero, so that's why it was creepy XD thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies

Mimi-ride-nationwide: Here's the next one! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

ShimmerT: I'm glad you like all my fics! X3 Lemons are always good where appropriate. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Yoshi333: Yeah, the end was sadface. Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Sleeping Water Nymph: I'm glad you think I'm talented! *blushes* Thanks for the review! *give cookies*

ShadowFoxx15: Don't go emo! Oh yeah, Dante did have to read because Trish wasn't around XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

I'm so sorry this chapter took so long-I've been really busy with some other stuff going on! My beta didn't get the chance to look at this chapter because she's going on vacation, but I didn't think I could leave you guys hanging anymore! So enjoy!

This chapter was really difficult to write. I wanted to get into Dante's thoughts so in order to fully get this chapter you may have to go onto youtube and watch the cutscenes where Dante and Nero interact. :3

* * *

_After the events with the Savior…_

Dante stood on the deck of the ferry sailing away from Fortuna, his thoughts lingering with the kid back on the island and everything that had transpired there.

In their first encounter on the island Dante had caught one glimpse of white hair and a blue jacket and he thought he'd been going crazy, then those boots had hit him in the face he was sure he was going to murder the son of a bitch that dare hit him. Then the flash of Blue Rose and two bullets coming at him in the next second and he'd realized he wasn't imagining things. He'd jumped into the battle headfirst, shocked and excited at the sight of the younger man.

Dante couldn't believe that the kid had been on the religious island. At first he thought that Nero was like the rest of the people in the Order, obsessed with the savior and gaining demonic power, but he'd quickly realized that it wasn't the case. After that he'd been able to loosen up, though he hadn't trusted his voice until he'd unveiled the kid's arm, and become absolutely sure it was him. He knew however that he couldn't let on that he knew who Nero was, it would probably just scare him off.

He'd underestimated the kid the first time they'd met when he was nineteen and he was surprised to find he'd done the exact same thing. He'd accidentally let the kid get him into a vulnerable position and once there he'd struggled to keep his devil trigger under control-he didn't want to actually hurt the kid. The same couldn't be said for Nero though, the kid had pinned him to a statue with his own sword.

"_You're not human, are you?"_ He lightly chuckled upon remembering the look on Nero's face when he said it, wondering what the kid thought he was himself, just another human?

Eventually the red clad hunter had to get out of there though; he _had_ had a job to do, not to mention Nero wasn't too thrilled to see him, so he'd allowed the kid head out to do whatever _he_ had to do.

Dante did have a few more chances to meet with the kid however…

"_I'm here for the sword."_

Nero was as much of a spitfire as he remembered-maybe even more so in their second big encounter of the trip. Nero was on a mission, and he'd improved since their last battle, but was nowhere near as skilled as he'd been when they first met.

He shook his head and looked out over the choppy water at the retreating cost line. He rested his elbow on the railing, placing his chin on his hand. The kid was powerful. He'd never realized how much so until he'd seen him crush that statue's head.

Dante frowned. What he wasn't sure about was the girl…where did she fit in all this? The kid seemed to be in love with her, but Nero definitely didn't seem the kind to cheat. He couldn't puzzle it out, he was missing something. He figured he wouldn't get the answers until Nero remembered and could explain what was going on.

"_Wait for me."_ It wasn't directed at him and he was a little disappointed by it…He was _jealous_. _Jealous_ of a little girl. The word rubbed him the wrong way.

"_Hey Dante…Will we meet again?"_

The older man lightly smiled to himself, he hadn't been sure how to respond to that so he'd just given him a two fingered salute and taken off, headed straight for the ferry with Trish.

Dante felt fingertips ghost across the back of his shoulders and he turned his head to watch as Trish stood next to him, cocking her hip and resting it against the railing.

"You look like you're regretting leaving something behind." she said, looking out over to the black line that was the island on the horizon.

"Maybe I am, but like they say 'if you set it free and it comes back to you...'" he trailed off lightly smiling.

Trish quirked an eyebrow. "…Why do I have the feeling we're not talking about Yamato?"

Dante chuckled. "Come on Trish, almost time to get off." he stated, pushing off the railing and heading towards the front of the boat, Fortuna now out of view.

* * *

_1 year later…_

Nero jerked awake looking around and sitting up-he was clutching something in his right hand, stars and the moon lit up the inky blackness that was the night sky above him and a castle sat right in front of him…the same castle he'd encountered Tempus in.

He looked down at his hand and found that in his grasp was the apple he'd been eating, the place where he'd taken a bite had turned a brownish color.

He shook his head in disbelief and threw the apple away harshly, running his hands through his hair, tears stung his eyes. How was this even possible? He'd been in Dante's embrace not ten minutes ago-only it was actually years ago! It made his head and heart ache.

Was it just a dream? Had he gotten hit in the head by something? He sighed, swiping his eyes with his jacket sleeve and getting to his feet. He grabbed Red Queen off the ground from his side and rested it against his shoulder.

"There-I see someone!"

The devil slayer squinted as light flashed in his eyes and he lifted a hand to block it.

"Nero!" Kyrie flew out of the darkness, throwing her arms around him, her skirt and shoes were stained with mud. Nero blinked, stupefied. It was as if he'd just walked into a dream-like this wasn't his real life. "I was so worried about you-we've been out here looking for hours! When you didn't come home I knew something was wrong!" she exclaimed.

"I'm fine Kyrie." he lightly smiled, placing his sword on his back to lightly pat her shoulder.

"What happened?"

"I just got a little knock on the head."

"You got hit in the head-let me see-" she tried.

He lightly brushed her off as the other members of the Order walked over, their lights shining over him. "Looks alright to me."

"I'm going home." another mumbled.

Kyrie smiled. "Come on Nero, let's go home."

He let her take his arm and start leading the way. _'Home? This isn't home.' _he thought to himself. No, his home smelled like pizza and tomato juice where skeletons and devil arms lined the walls.

That certainly wasn't here.

* * *

I know, time travel is confusing. I wanted to give some insights to Dante's thoughts when the two of them met in the game, so I hope that the beginning of this chapter makes sense. Then poor Nero is kind of shell shocked he feels like he's been gone months and in reality the Order only thinks he's been gone for a day. Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth May 27, 2010


	20. Chapter 20 The Good Stuff

Tick Tock CHAPTER 20

Berkie88: Well Nero thinks he's had the most elaborate dream of his life so for now he's not going running back to Dante. And I thought about doing some of Dante before Fortuna, but I didn't want to rehash the whole first game or anything XD so I wasn't sure what to do-therefore I went straight to his thoughts after meeting Nero again :3 Nope, no one's ever told Trish about Nero, but Lady knows him-of course she didn't go to Fortuna which also helps keep this canon :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Lemonlimediddies: Glad it's still going well! Thank you for the review! *gives cookies*

Pushka: I think it would have been pretty difficult for Dante not to say his name at any time-good thing he got used to calling him kid XD I think if I was Dante and Nero was saying stuff like 'Wait for me.' which is so relevant to him to HER he'd be a little jealous. Nero is totally out of his element when he wakes up in his time, it's like changing his entire mindset, and actually in their last session Dante didn't leave any love bites. Nero knows this isn't home but at the moment he has to try to figure out how to get BACK home :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Noboru: You're confused? Oh no! Well, Nero got sent forward in time at the end of the chapter and before that I wrote out Dante's thoughts of their meetings on Fortuna. I hope you get unconfused this chapter! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Omgitsbella: I've only played 3 and some of 1 but I've done lots of homework on 4 XD My friends make fun of most war games and stick to fantasy or sci-fi stuff but they do like some shooters :3 I'm glad you think I'm talented I've been working at writing for awhile :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: Nero is pretty lost at the moment, not sure if his 'dream' really happened or not. I'm glad you liked Dante's insight, I struggled with it a lot :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Shiya64: Glad you love it! :3 *attempts cartwheel and falls on head* …;_; ow…XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

AvalonParadise: I did prolong the reunion :3 I'm so bad XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Emerald Twin Blade: Sorry it was short! I guess that's just the way my chapters are, but this one is pretty long :3 Kyrie was out searching for Nero with some of the Order because she was worried when he didn't come back. I guess I assumed that people would understand what was going on-but I think I was wrong XD There's a more detailed explanation down in my authors notes :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Dante32: Glad you love it! :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Ellocin: I thought it was only natural that Dante got jealous of the affection Kyrie was getting :3 Of course in the game he just brushes it off. Nero was really sad when he woke up again-sad and pretty frustrated and then he just got confused XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Mimi-ride-nationwide: yeah, it's one year after DMC4 so that Nero is 18, I said that at the beginning of the story :3 And Dante is impatient because he has come to visit the kid once since the events with the Savior. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Okay! Well, as it turns out this will NOT be the final chapter of Tick Tock I've been cranking out about two more chapters so it'll probably end up 22 chapters but don't quote me on that XD I'm wrong about the number of chapters a lot.

**For those of you confused about Kyrie showing up last chapter**-she thought that Nero had been gone for about 12-14 hours and she got worried so she asked the Order to help look for him or she was going out alone. So they searched for him until he reappeared and that's what happened :3

I do not own Devil May Cry or it's characters! Enjoy!

* * *

"Kyrie, I'm heading out!" Nero called as he started lacing up one of his boots. He'd spent the last few days at home 'recovering' from his encounter at the castle. He wasn't the same, Kyrie could tell, though she couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong.

"Okay, be careful." she answered softly from the other room.

Nero put his foot into his other boot. He felt something crinkle beneath his toes and frowned. He sat back on the couch and pulled it off again, shaking it. A small wad of cash fell out along with a folded up piece of paper.

He picked up the scrap of paper and carefully unfolded it, it read: _'I thought you might need some money to help you get back to me, this is everything you earned while you were here. I hope this makes it to you. Dante'_

He stared blankly at the older devil hunter's scrawled handwriting-it was his, there was no doubt about it. How could that have gotten there? He wasn't crazy-it had really happened! Dante knew the whole time!

A grin split his face and he scooped up the note and the money before shoving his foot back into his boot.

Then he frowned. What was he going to do now? Dante was waiting for him-he had to go back-he _wanted_ to desperately.

What about Kyrie? It was too short notice for him to just up and leave…but he didn't want to stay here-he didn't belong here, he belonged at Devil May Cry.

He sighed. He wanted to leave right now, just jump on his bike and never look back. He couldn't though. Not at the moment, but soon. He could get things in order here with Kyrie and make sure she would be okay, then he could leave. Nobody wanted him here anyway.

* * *

So he followed through with his plans. He talked to Kyrie, and convinced her that he didn't belong in Fortuna. She'd shed tears, cried on his shoulder but eventually she'd relented.

She got worried about him sometimes…like when he disappeared after the Order sent him on a mission. While she liked to believe that everyone was inherently good, the whole incident with the Savior had tested her beliefs and proved them, for the most part, wrong. Kyrie wasn't blind, she saw the way most of the other townsfolk treated Nero, with caution and recently with an undercurrent of contempt. So she agreed with him…but it wasn't without her reservations about losing him herself.

After talking to Kyrie Nero turned in his resignation with the Order, they'd seemed mildly concerned as if wondering if he was going to murder them all or something. The fact that he'd stopped wearing his sling and left his demonic arm proudly displayed probably didn't help matters, but he just didn't care. They let him go without much of a fuss and he went home to pack up his meager belongings, and strap them to his bike. Kyrie was the only one who came to wish him off.

"You sure you're going to be alright Nero?" she whispered. "Where will you go?"

"I'm going to find Dante. Don't worry Kyrie, I'll be fine." he smiled as she hugged him. His right arm wrapped around her waist and he brushed the hair away from her face with the other, lightly kissing her forehead. "You'll always be like a sister to me. So take care of yourself, okay?"

She nodded, releasing him. "You be careful too Nero. Please be careful."

"I promise." he smiled getting on his motorcycle. "Goodbye Kyrie."

"Goodbye Nero, I hope you find what makes you happy." she smiled sweetly.

The slayer lightly chuckled and nodded before kicking the bike to life and zooming forward.

He didn't look back.

* * *

A few days later found Nero in front of the battered doors of Devil May Cry. It looked a little more beaten, a little more run down but Nero's mind still screamed that it was home. He killed the engine and got off his bike before heading up the stairs to the door. He hesitated, but only for a moment, before pushing open the double doors and walking inside.

Familiar scents mingled together and met his nose as soon as the door opened. There was the smell of pizza, gunpowder and demon blood that formed the complex scent that belonged solely to Devil May Cry.

The man in red sat at his desk, feet propped up and a slice of pizza hanging out of his mouth. He smiled when he saw the male at his front door.

"Hey there kid! What brings you to the shop?"

Nero lightly closed the door behind him and reached his right hand into his jacket pocket. "I got your note." he whispered, producing said note from his coat.

Dante frowned. "I always wondered if it made it to you," he smiled again. "Some days I wondered if I'd just dreamed it all, but I always had something here to remind me."

"Oh? And what was that?"

"Well, there's the whole room of furniture upstairs but on the last day you were here you clawed my desk." he smirked pushing aside a sheet of paper to show four deep impressions in the wood. He tapped them with his pointer finger as he lightly laughed.

Nero chuckled. "Yeah, this thing tends to leave quite an impression." he curled his fingers.

"The rest of you didn't leave too bad of an impression either." he smirked.

"Man, I hope that's a good thing," he rubbed the back of his head and quietly laughed. "Because I'm sorta looking for a place to live and this is the only place that I can think of to call home."

Dante smirked, leaning back in his chair and looking comically thoughtful. "Well…Trish has your old room-I can't just kick her out."

Nero approached the desk, placing his hands on it and leaning forward. "Mm-hmm, and what about your room?" he asked slyly.

"My room? Definitely not enough room for another bed in there," he teased. "I guess you'll have to sleep on the couch."

Nero walked around the desk, lightly dragging his devil bringer against the wood, until he reached the older male's feet and pushed them off. "You can be a real asshole you know that?" he smirked. "So do you want me to stay or not?" he asked seriously, perching himself on the edge of the desk.

"'Course I do."

Nero felt the knot in his stomach unwind. "Good, because I'm staying whether you want me or not, old man." he grinned.

Dante gripped at his chest theatrically. "You wound me kid."

"You sure you're not just having a heart attack?" he teased lightly, his lips meshing against the older hunter's to take the sting out of his words. He gasped as he was jerked into Dante's lap, the older slayer taking advantage and sliding his tongue into his lover's mouth. The slick appendages wrestled for dominance which ended in a tie when they had to part for air.

Nero chuckled. "I'll take that as you missed me." he said, dragging the fingers of his devil bringer over his cheek.

"No, I _really_ missed you." he whispered. Nero frowned and their lips met again, this time more slowly.

Dante pulled away first this time and Nero opted to trail kisses over his jaw and neck.

"Kid…wait, I gotta talk to you."

"Says the man that was cramming his tongue down my throat not two minutes ago." he said lightly.

"Tell me about the girl."

"Well, that's a mood killer." the younger slayer sighed, stopping his ministrations. "Kyrie right?"

"…Are there more I should know about?"

"No, no, Kyrie is the only one." he laughed. "Okay, so you're asking what happened with her right? Why I didn't stay with her?"

"Yeah, that would be nice."

"After all the stuff with the Savior we did keep going steady, but nothing was changing, you know, things cooled down. I was gone all the time taking care of demons and helping to reconstruct the city-she was off helping get people back on their feet. Anyway we decided to take a break…and I started having rather…embarrassing dreams about a certain white haired devil," he paused to ruffle Dante's hair. "Then that was when I got sent back…you know, to meet you. All of that happened, I realized I was in love with you, you egotistical bastard, just in time to get flung forward again. Took a few days to recover thinking I had lost my ever loving fucking mind, and then I found your note." he chuckled. "So I came after you. Kyrie is like a little sister, I suppose I should have realized it sooner but….that's why I didn't stay."

Dante whistled. "That's quite a story."

"No kidding. So what about you? Sleep with a lot of hot chicks while I was gone?" he asked with a smirk.

"…Nah. Go to Love Planet every once in a while, flirt a bit, but I don't take anyone home."

Nero blinked. "A-are you serious?" he was understandably awestricken by the older man's self-control.

"Serious as a heart attack. You know though, once you get a taste of the good stuff you can't go back." he smiled.

The younger hunter blushed. "I'm sure I wasn't _that_ good."

"Nero, you said you loved me-_that _is the good stuff. I can't get it anywhere else, and I don't want it from anyone else."

"Aw, you getting sentimental in your old age?" he teased.

"I've been known to say something cheesy every once in awhile." he smirked.(1)

"I don't doubt that at all," Nero stated. "Now, I'm going to get my stuff off my bike and put it upstairs…then whatever we do after that is your call." he grinned, getting off the older slayer's lap and heading for the door.

Dante smirked as he grabbed another slice of pizza and waited for the kid to unpack.

* * *

(1) Reference Devil May Cry 1 please XD I'm pretty sure he says quite a few cheesy things there.

Okay, so today I'm going back to work and chapters are going to be slow (like they haven't been slow yet XD) anyway, probably one update per week for the next 2 weeks ;3 Thanks for reading guys and give me some reviews to look forward to after work! *puppy eyes* XD Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth May 31, 2010


	21. Chapter 21 Welcome Home

Tick Tock CHAPTER 21

Pushka: The point of the note was kind of a fan girl squee moment XD I pretty much did the same thing when I wrote it. Usually I try to keep Kyrie in character, and really-she's not a bad person I really think that she wants everyone she cares about to be happy. I thought Dante sitting with pizza hanging out of his mouth as the first thing Nero saw was just too good to pass up XD and I'm sure Dante did have some pretty naughty thoughts when he looked at those scratch marks XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: Yep, Kyrie is a pretty nice girl in my fics-typically :3 And Nero is home again-let's see what happens! XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Blue-Moons169: Nero finally went back to Dante-and yes I know Dante has some pretty cheesy lines sometimes XD "Flock off feather face." or "I was the one who should have filled your dark soul with LIGHT" are probably the most well known XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Furesesse1: The two are reunited! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Noboru: I'm glad you're not confused anymore-always a good thing! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Ellocin: I agree with Dante's cheesy statements he has some doozies XD Nope, not quite finished yet-next chapter though. I think you'll be happy with this chapter :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Lemonlimediddies: Glad you love it :3 Nero and Dante do belong together-they're adorable! X3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Dante32: Glad you love it! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

AvalonParadise: XD Sorry it took so long for them to get back together. It is getting close to the end and if you do have any ideas for a sequel I would love to hear them-I'd give you credit of course. And yes Dante has the self-control of a million and one men! XD Poor guy, though Nero's not totally convinced that he hasn't had sex with _anyone_ since he left. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Shiya64: I'm okay! I just can't do cartwheels very well XD I shall attempt another! *cartwheels DMC plushies save me from falling* YAY! And I thought the reunion between the two was pretty mushy, but cute :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Solaris: I didn't even think of having Dante say anything about the bathroom XD He was too excited to see Nero and I'm sure he doesn't say it every time Trish or Lady come into the shop. I love the pizza hanging out of his mouth too XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Mimi-ride-nationwide: They have been reunited! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Okay I want to dedicate this chapter to all of my fantastic reviewers! You know you guys keep me going right? So this is my way of saying thanks! Love you all! ^_^

Thanks to LawlietsDarkAngel for betaing this chapter for me again! Much appreciated! So here's chapter 21 of Tick Tock! I do not own Nero or Dante-so no suing me!

* * *

Nero took in the last of the things on his bike to Dante's room before walking back downstairs, leaning back on the railing of the steps.

"Well…that's it." he smiled slightly.

Dante licked the pizza sauce off his lips as he stood and made his way over to the younger man. "So it's my call then?" he asked.

Nero thoughtfully scratched his chin with his devil bringer. "That _is_ what I said."

"Then we should probably head upstairs." he murmured. He lightly grabbed the kid's right hand and pulled him along with ease. Nero could already feel his insides stirring up with desire; after all he'd fallen for Dante before he'd even met his younger self.

They got into the bedroom and closed the door. The older male's fingers lightly danced over Nero's face then grabbed the collar of his jacket, sliding it off. The younger half-devil took note of his patience and repeated the action with his own red leather coat. He then took Dante's hand removing the older male's fingerless gloves.

Once his hands were free the older slayer unbuckled the belts across his chest. Nero lightly smirked, unzipping his hoodie and shrugging it onto the floor with his jacket, leaving him in a thin undershirt. The younger male waited until all three belts were on the floor before wrapping his arms around Dante's neck and kissing him. The older half-devil parted his lips willingly to let Nero's tongue explore as his right arm wound around his middle. His left hand went up to rest on the younger male's right forearm, his fingers sliding between the armor plates to lightly touch the glowing flesh beneath. Nero moaned breathily at the sensation.

The younger man's human hand reached down to grab the zipper on Dante's shirt, slowly dragging it down. He broke their lip lock to trail kisses and licks down his neck as well as the skin exposed as his shirt slowly slid open.

"This is more sensitive than you like to admit, huh kid?" Dante purred, his fingers sliding further into the younger hunter's arm.

Nero's eyes fluttered and he lightly moaned again. "You'd be the only one to know," he murmured. "_I_ never knew it was sensitive until your hand slipped that one morning."

Dante chuckled, releasing the young hunter's arm to let his partner push his black, leathery shirt off. He then reached out and tugged off Nero's white muscle shirt. Nero pulled off the leather strap around his left wrist as well as both his rings, dropping them on the table next to the bed.

Dante slid off his amulet, placing it with the younger male's accessories, then he leapt onto the bed, grinning and kicking off his boots as he pat the spot beside him. Nero lightly laughed and toed off his shoes before climbing onto the bed. Dante grabbed the younger slayer's right wrist and pulled his arm out straight. Nero frowned, gasping and clenching his hand as the older male's tongue slid behind his armor and caressed his skin.

"Ah, Dante…" he moaned softly.

The older man let go after a moment and Nero took the opportunity to straddle his lover's hips, lightly dragging his nails down Dante's chest. He stopped at his belt and nimbly unfastened it, throwing it away with a loud 'clank.' He followed up with his own belt before leaning up and giving the older man another sensual kiss, their hips grinding together tantalizingly slow.

Dante moaned softly, his hands wandering down the younger slayer's back. Nero broke away from the kiss and moved down to unfasten his lover's pants, sliding them off, and exposing the older male's hardened organ to the cool night air. The young half-devil grabbed Dante's hip with his devil bringer.

"You don't get to top every time, but since it's been so long I'll let you have me again." he murmured, leaning down, his breath ghosting over the older man's heated shaft.

Dante shuttered lightly, "Nice of ya, but I'm guessing that it's your turn next time then."

"You got it." he chuckled, before parting his lips and wrapping them around the head of the older half-devil's member. Dante groaned, his hand sliding into the younger male's platinum hair. Nero hesitated for a second, hoping that the older slayer wouldn't force him down, before slowly lowering his head taking more of the flesh into his mouth and coating it with his saliva. Dante's hand clenched in his lover's hair, but didn't add pressure, though he arched his hips slightly; Nero's devil bringer had that under control.

The younger hunter bobbed his head up and down lightly sucking, enjoying the sounds of pleasure that Dante was emitting because of his ministrations. Nero made sure his entire length was covered with saliva before pulling back. He climbed up his lover's body, lightly smirking before he was flipped onto his back.

Dante unhooked his lover's pants and slid them as well as his underwear off in one smooth motion. He then jammed two of his fingers into his own mouth covering them in spit, before bringing them down to the younger hunter's entrance and pushing them inside. Nero took a deep breath to help him relax as his lover stretched and prepared him. He lightly moaned when Dante's hand wrapped around his member and started to stroke him.

Once he figured the younger male was ready Dante removed his fingers and leaned up over Nero's lithe body, their lips lightly brushing.

"Ready?" he asked.

Nero blinked as he looked into his partner's light blue eyes and saw a sort of tenderness mingling with lust, it was something that made his heart skip a beat. _'I guess absence really does make the heart grow fonder.'_ he thought while his mouth responded with: "Never been better."

Dante nodded slightly and started to push in to the smaller male. Nero winced, grabbing onto the older half-devil's shoulders and closing his eyes. He felt Dante's warm hand wrap around his weeping organ once again pumping him in time as he started a slow rhythm in and out of the younger hunter.

After a few experimental thrusts Nero's breath caught and he opened his eyes. The older male repeated the action and his lover moaned softly.

"Jackpot." he whispered, making Nero crack a smirk, before he could say anything however Dante pulled back and started a faster, harder pace. The younger slayer felt his body responding, his nails biting into his lover's shoulders, his hips rolled to meet every thrust, and his legs wrapped around Dante's hips allowing him to push even deeper inside him, all while he moaned incoherently.

Dante's breaths came harshly, groans of his own mixed in as Nero's tight heat clenched around him every time his prostate was hit.

"Nero," he growled. The younger hunter bucked his hips and moaned loudly in response. "S-say my name."

"Dante!" he cried out, his back arching as the older male pounded into him harder. "Fuck! Dante, Dante!" he continued to moan like it was a mantra. His devil bringer glowed brightly as his peak drew closer with every passing moment.

The older half-devil felt the fire coiling inside his belly as well, winding tighter and tighter with every thrust and every one of Nero's throaty moans. He gasped feeling his lover's muscles grip onto his aching manhood as the younger male came between them crying out his name as loud as he could. The increased heat around his organ drew Dante to the brink and he came deeply inside the willing body beneath him.

Nero closed his eyes as he struggled to catch his breath. "I-" he faltered as he found the need to inhale more oxygen. "I love you Dante…" he panted. "I swear that…I'll never leave you like that again."

The older hunter rolled onto his side. "I love you too Nero." he breathed, kissing his lover lightly. "And you better make good on that promise or else."

Nero lightly smirked. "Oo, or else, huh?"

"Else I'll have to hunt you down and kick your ass." he smirked.

The younger male scoffed. "We'll have to see about the ass kicking, I might be able to beat you now."

"Getting a little cocky aren't you?"

"You've underestimated me every other time so far which has pretty much worked to my advantage…so no, I think you're the one who might be a little over confident." he smirked, reaching over the side of the bed and grabbing a towel that was laying on the floor. (Dante had probably left it there after a shower or something) He used it to wipe the residue off his chest and stomach before handing it over to the older male.

"I suppose we'll just have to see about that, _kid_." he stated playfully as he cleaned himself off before throwing the towel away.

"I'm sure we will." Nero yawned, sliding over closer as his partner pulled a red sheet over them and in the same motion wrapped his arms around the younger half-devil.

"I'll count on it then." he whispered, nuzzling Nero's hair.

They were quiet for a few minutes, basking in the other's company.

"I love you kid." Dante whispered affectionately.

"I love you too old man." Nero replied with a smirk before both of them drifted off to a fitful sleep.

* * *

Okay that's chapter 21, next chapter is to wrap up all the loose ends and make this all neat and tidy XD Thank you again reviewers! I look forward to hearing from you as always! Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth June 6, 2010


	22. Chapter 22 Epilogue

Tick Tock CHAPTER 22

Dante32: :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Blue-Moons169: I aim for details :3 especially in scenes like that! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: I'm pretty sure it was more than ten years, but yes it has been too long for poor Dante! I'm glad you've enjoyed the story :3 Here's the last chapter! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Pushka: Nero and Dante stripping is always yummy! XD The 'jackpot' line just fit so perfectly I couldn't resist. The two are very much in luv with each other :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Shiya64: I know, it's a rare day when I get to write a sweet lemon between Nero and Dante but it was fun :3 And plushies are amazing! They're so soft and squishy! XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Noboru: *drools too* it was a very sexy chapter! XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Furesesse1: I thought the lemon was hot and sweet at the same time :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Ellocin: Hot and sweet-precisely what I was aiming for XD I kind of wonder that now too…who would win? I didn't get a chance to explore that in this chapter but maybe I'll do a short or something :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Ayer Gootarest: I'm sure I'll come back to these two, though it probably will be closer to when school starts-I always get ideas for these two when I'm really busy at school XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Lemonlimediddies: Yup…sex does bring people together…XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

WolfsFang13: Glad I could make the top of your favorites! This chapter should wrap everything up! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Avalon Paradise: Oh noes! You fainted! *gives tissues for nosebleed* I like the idea you gave me for Nero being captured and taken to hell, I'll think on it, but haven't had much time for writing recently :3 Thank you! *gives cookies*

XXC-loudxS-trifeXx: Yeah both Nero and Dante have kind of softened up to each other though they are still awesome! :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

I want to dedicate this chapter to my beta LawlietsDarkAngel for betaing so many of my chapters for me :3 I know she's been busy and I appreciate the once over so that she can catch things I would miss! Thank you!

This is the last chapter so I wanted to make it clear how everything worked out and here it is! Thanks everybody!

* * *

_Next morning…_

Nero came to feeling content and lazy before the events of the last few days rushed back to him. His eyes flew open terrified that he'd dreamed the whole thing and he would wake up in his bed in Fortuna.

Instead he found himself looking over a scarred and muscled, male chest. His head was resting against Dante's shoulder, a strong arm wrapped around his waist. He sighed softly in relief. He was home, really home and no demon was going to interfere this time.

After a few minutes basking in the older slayer's warmth Nero extricated himself from the tangle of limbs and headed for the bedroom door. He opened it slightly and paused at the slight scent of coffee. Who would be here making coffee…?

He shook his head and closed the door in favor of trying to find some clothes to put on. He figured he shouldn't wander around the shop stark naked anyway.

Trish sat at Dante's desk nursing a black coffee. She watched rather amused as Nero headed down the stairs, wincing, wearing nothing but boxers and a white muscle shirt. He got down to the landing and started towards the kitchen, halting as he noticed her. Dante had said she was living here, but after what happened the night before he had let that detail slip his mind. He supposed he expected to see Lady, but Dante hadn't even mentioned her yet.

He'd seen her once like this before. Her hair long and blonde, and her eyes a shade of blue close to Dante's. She wore her black leather corset top with a lightning bolt slinking it's way between her breasts; a lightning shaped zipper pull hanging near the top. Luce and Ombra, black and white pistols that had been models for Ebony and Ivory, rested on her hips.(1) Following them were tight black leather pants covered her legs, before reaching black leather boots.

"Morning." he managed hoarsely.

"Morning. You sound a little rough, you got a cold?" she lightly smirked, knowing exactly why the young male was hoarse as she had heard the two the entire night through the bedroom wall.

Nero blushed before answering, "No…is there more of that?" he gestured to the mug.

"Sure sweetie, coffee pot in the corner mugs-"

"Top right cupboard, thanks," he headed back in the kitchen returning after a moment with his own steaming cup of sweet life. He took a long pull of it before trying to talk again, his voice seeming a little smoother. "Hey Trish?"

"Yes?"

"Dante…he's brought girls or guys back here before, right?" he lightly smirked.

"Mm, no, not that I've ever seen, heard, or smelled."

"No one but me, huh?" he mumbled, finger tapping his mug. It was flattering that Dante hadn't slept with anyone since he left but it was also pretty crazy. Was it even possible for a person to go that long without sex?

"You must be pretty special."

He blushed lightly but didn't reply. Trish giggled stopping when the phone started ringing. She picked it up off the hook and answered with: "Devil May Cry."

Nero took his cue to slip back upstairs and put some real clothes on, leaving his coffee on the edge of the pool table on the way. Trish made him nervous, though it was probably just because he remembered her as the barely dressed Gloria from the Order.

He slid into Dante's room where the elder slayer was still snoring and silently put his clothes on. He looked at the older male and lightly smiled…after all these years Dante had still wanted him back… waited for him even. Nero was surprised to say the least but it was obvious that Dante still cared about him.

'_Painfully obvious._' he thought wryly to himself. His ass was still aching from their romp, but it was worth it.

The younger teen slipped back downstairs to find Trish was gone. He sighed softly to himself, making his way over to the pool table. It was more beaten than he remembered, but so was everything else in the shop. He lightly ran his human hand over the well worn green velvet.

"He missed you."

Nero's head jerked up at the unexpected voice-Dante was the only one here, besides himself and it wasn't either of their voices.

"Yes, the master was very upset after you were gone, he has never brought anyone else here to be with as he is with you." That was a different voice, though similar to the first.

"Who are you? Where are you guys at?" he mumbled, looking around warily.

"We are here, on the wall. I am Agni." explained the second voice.

"And I, Rudra."

"…Why didn't you guys say anything before?" he wondered, making his way over to get a better look at who was talking to him, there were so many swords and skulls on the wall he was having a hard time locating them.

"The demon, Trish, was here." Agni said.

"We have been commanded not to speak in her presence."

"But not in mine…" he mumbled in understanding, walking around until he spotted the two swords on the wall. It had to be more of Dante's 'Devil Arms' or whatever he called them, Nero was pretty sure he had the only real devil arm around. "So…how upset _was_ he when I left?" he asked curiously.

"He was quite sad for several days." Rudra stated.

"Then the woman came and shot at him many times, what was it she said brother?" Agni questioned.

"I believe she said something about the master needing to get off his ass and kill some demons before they overran the city and killed everyone." the blue sword stated.

"I told him he needed to stop moping around, get out and kick some ass and then I shot him in the face…more than once if I remember correctly."

Nero whirled around to face the girl who had certainly matured since he'd left. She wore large sunglasses over her mismatched eyes, a white pinstriped jacket with a neckline that plunged way further than necessary, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. She wore matching shorts as well as all of her usual weaponry. Two belts looped around her left leg above her knee high brown boots. She stood with most of her weight to one side and her trusty Katalina Ann rested on her shoulder.

Lady took her sunglasses off and looked over the teen before her as well. "You don't look a single bit different."

"Dante didn't tell you what happened?" he wondered.

"No, he told me. Just thought you'd run off and he wasn't tough enough to take being dumped, but I suppose this is irrefutable proof that time travel is possible." she said scratching her chin. "You were in Fortuna weren't you?"

"Yeah. That's where I was." he confirmed, smiling slightly.

"Makes sense…Dante seemed more upbeat-and I mean more so than usual. He cheered up after that ass kicking I gave him. Anyway after he went there-to Fortuna, he seemed almost…hyper. Not to mention he made that trip back 'to see a contact' about a month ago." she mumbled thoughtfully. "So you're staying I take it." an icy edge came into her voice as if daring him to disagree.

"Yes, I'll be staying here for as long as Dante lets me." he confirmed, quickly.

She nodded briskly, seemingly pleased by his answer as she slid her sunglasses back on. "Good, because if you ever hurt him like that again I'd have to shoot you where the sun don't shine, and my aim has improved." she smirked.

"I'll take your word on that one, but I'm not planning on going _anywhere_. I never wanted to leave in the first place." he stated, his fingers brushing the scratch marks in the desktop that he'd left.

She nodded once again. "I guess I'll be seeing you later then Nero."

He smirked. "I guess so. But why did you come here this morning?" he wondered.

Lady smirked. "Trish told me we had fresh meat. I'll set her straight though." she lifted her sunglasses to wink. He watched as she walked out of the shop.

Nero made his way back to the pool table and picked up his coffee, sucking down the last of its contents. He perched himself up on the table and laid back, folding his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. Things seemed to have worked out pretty well. He had his lover back, Lady would probably start to trust him again after a few weeks and hopefully he would be able to make another ally in Trish.

He smirked feeling lips against his own. _'Speak of the devil.'_ he thought to himself as he returned the gesture. Dante pulled away after a moment and Nero realized that the older male was wearing boxers, though nothing else.

"What's got you grinning like the Cheshire cat?" he asked, leaning over the younger male.

"I'm just pretty happy right now." he murmured

"Happy to be home?" the man above him purred.

"Mm-hmm, and this time we'll hope it stays that way."

"No."

Nero frowned and tilted his head.

"This time we _make sure _it stays this way." he grinned.

The younger hunter smirked. "Deal." he whispered pulling the older man down again to kiss him.

* * *

(1) Luce and Ombra are Italian for light and dark and they were Sparda's guns-so I only assume that the Ebony and Ivory were modeled after them.

And that's it! Nero and Dante are back together Trish is there and Lady is a bit wary but I'm sure things will settle down-other than the obvious chaos of demon hunting XD So I thank everyone who took the time to read this and another special thanks to all of you who reviewed and stuck with me! :3 Until next time!

Sayonara!

~Bitbyboth June 10, 2010


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